By Fang and Claw
by Adrian Grey
Summary: Grey, an ordinary 16 year old has been left for dead by a pack of wolves. Or so he thought. Moments after his apparent death, he is submereged into a world he never knew existed and with his newfound abilities, he hunts the ones that ended his life.
1. The Change

_The Change_

As quickly as it began, it was over. The park was silent once again and the scuffle ended, but not without ramifications. Grey lay on the ground bleeding, cursing his helplessness. He and his best friend Rosaline where just taking their usual walk in the park and he was about to confess his feelings for her when they came. Two men, one pale the other animalistic, started a brawl and Grey and Rosaline got in the way. Grey was struck down and he watched helplessly as his best friend was carried while his eyesight failed.

He willed his body to move, but it wouldn't respond. What was the point? She was gone now, so why even bother. He winced slightly as he staggered to his feet. There was a deep wound on his left side and there was a large cut on his right thigh, making it difficult to walk. Grey had taken only a few steps when he felt a shiver crawl up his spine and raise the hairs on his neck. He was not alone.

"Well, well, well. Look's like this one ain't dead yet," taunted a female voice.

"Heh, looks like you're losing your touch Liam. He should be dead. You only grazed him," said another, this time male.

"Aw shut the fuck up you two! He just got in the way, that's why he's still standing!" snapped a man who Grey assumed to be Liam. Grey turned slowly and was met by a group of four individuals, two men and two women. Immediately, he took a step back. He didn't know why, but something about them just didn't seem right.

"Oh look Chris, he's cautious," crooned the brunette who owned the female voice. She flashed him an unnaturally white smile. "Isn't that just adorable?"

"Tch," answered the male, a man who looked to be in his late twenties. "He ought to be cautious. It's only natural seeing as he's this close to the change. Even you should know that Deb."

_Change? What the hell is he talking about? Who are these people?_

"Enough!" barked Liam, a large man who appeared to be in his thirties. "The only change that he's going through is from living to not."

"Say what?" said the last girl meekly. She had a kind face and messy dirty-blonde hair. If Grey wasn't mistaken, she was close to his age of sixteen. "Why kill him? We could take him in, teach him. He could be beneficial to us."

"We took a chance in taking _you_ in Ali. We don't need another runt," Chris muttered.

Ali flashed Grey an apologetic look before looking away. Although still somewhat confused, their intentions were now clear. They planned to kill him. Fear froze him in place, locking his joints, stopping his breath.

Deb stepped toward him and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. "Aw, can't I keep him? He's kinda cute."

A growl responded and she sighed. "Oh well. Such a waste. Oh by the way, what's your name sweetheart?"

It took him a while to answer, "G-grey."

"Well Grey, not that it really matters but my name is Deb. Those behind me are Ali, Chris, and Liam. Sorry but could you do me a favor?"

Grey gulped. "What?"

"Run," she smiled her brilliantly white teeth.

"Why?"

"I enjoy chasing my prey," she said. Was he imagining it, or where her teeth getting sharper?

"But—"

"You heard the lady. Run!" snarled Chris. There was something different about his demeanor, as if he was getting more, primal. And there was a gleam in his eye that just scared him.

"Why shou—"

"RUN MOTHERFUCKER! RUN!" roared Liam in a garbled voice. Snapping out of his petrified state, Grey turned heel and bolted. Pain seared through his leg and his side, but the adrenaline made sure he didn't stop. As he ran, he heard the laughter of a woman and an odd cracking sound. He didn't stop to contemplate this however. Grey sprinted for a full five minutes before he came to a stop. He was confused. They said that they were going to kill him, yet he hadn't been shot or anything. Grey turned around and was surprised to come face to face with a wolf. At first, he thought that it was just a normal animal. That is, until he looked into its eyes and noticed how sad and…apologetic they looked.

A growl from behind the wolf made his blood run cold and three more emerged from the shadows. Grey didn't question it but instead started running again. He made it no more than a few yards before one of them sank its teeth into his ankle, bringing him down. He struggled to get up, but another bit his arm and he yelped in pain. They tore at him from all sides until finally one gripped him by the jugular. Although he knew what fate awaited him, he struggled anyway. The canine snorted and with a shake of its head, tore out his throat.

Grey could feel the life slowly ebbing away from him as he fell to the ground, limp. He felt the cold nose of one of his killers nudge him as it whined and the snarl of another. He heard the sounds of their paws hitting the ground as they left him alone to die. He saw the dark sky littered with its infinite stars before his vision blacked out.

"So this is how it ends," he gurgled softly. He was starting to go numb. Death was his only escape now, and he felt a tear fall as he thought of his sweet Rosaline, forever lost.

_Rosaline._

That was his last thought as his heart stopped and he breathed his last and death enveloped him in his cold embrace. It was all over.

Or so he thought.

At first, he thought he was just floating in the darkness. If this was what being dead was like, it wasn't so bad. Then, there was the sharp pang in his chest. It was kind of uncomfortable, and it bothered him. It came again, only more intense this time. There was a sharp crack and he wondered where it must have come from. Then he realized that it came from him. His eyes snapped open, and he was greeted by the moon overhead. His breathing was ragged and his limbs were no longer numb. On the contrary, they were on fire. He couldn't scream for some reason and he was starting to convulse. The cracking ensued throughout his body as bones moved and reshaped themselves accordingly. And there was a feeling that was building in his chest that was so strange yet so familiar.

Fury.

His vision started to become clouded in a red haze as they went from deep brown to yellow. He felt his teeth elongate as well as his nails. So many changes going on in one time and finally he could contain it no longer. He raised his head up and with an ancient fury, he released a primal howl the shattered the silence of the night.


	2. Mask of the Beast

_Mask of the Beast_

It seemed only a few minutes, but the red haze dissipated. Confusion ruled his mind as his vision cleared and he sat up to look around. He was no longer in the park, but in what appeared to be the wilderness. He looked around for some clue as to how he got there. That's when he caught the smell. He paused in inhaled through his nose. It smelled almost appealing and he felt his mouth water. Then there was the taste. He licked his lips and found them salty with something. It was when he lowered his gaze that he saw a sight that just horrified him.

First thing he noticed was that his clothes. His shirt hung in tatters and his jeans were barely hanging on. Next, he found dark red stains that were splashed all across them. It didn't end there. The stains extended to his bare chest, his hands, and, he finally realized his mouth. But what stole away his breath was the mangled corpse before him.

The abdominal cavity had been hollowed out, the chest was torn open, an arm was missing, and the throat had been torn out. It took Grey no longer than a second to make the connection between the body and the stains. It was blood, blood from an innocent. He racked his brains to remember what happened, but all he could remember was anger and the dark red cloud. There were a few visions, but they made no sense. They showed a large animal tearing apart the bystander. Then he touched his bloody lips and he realized the undeniable truth.

"It was me," he whispered. He looked at the person's face to find that he had not ravaged it. This only made it worse, for it was frozen in permanent shock, eyes and mouth agape. He started to back away from the corpse, still scarcely believing the sight that was before him. Not looking where he was going, he tripped over something and to his horror, he saw that it was yet another mangled carcass. He scrambled to his feet and bolted away, not caring which way he went so long as it was away from the dead ones. It was a few minutes before he realized that he was not out of breath and he was thinking rather clearly for one who ought to be in a panic. In fact, he felt great. Gone were his injuries, replaced by what seemed to be boundless energy.

"What's happening to me?" he muttered as he continued to run. Eventually, he came to the edge of a lake and stopped. He cupped some of the dark water in his hands and splashed his face. The cool water felt nice, so he did it again, making sure to rub off the drying blood stains on his face and his hands. Grey then stripped off his shirt and dipped it in the water in an attempt to scrub out some of the blood on it. Before he could disturb the water, his eyes caught his image and he stifled a gasp.

He noted the change in his physique first. His body was usually scrawny, yet it now gained at least some muscle mass and tone to it. His height also seemed to have gone up at least an inch or two, making him look more athletic along with his new form. But what struck him the most where his eyes. No longer a deep brown, they were now a striking yellow with black slits for pupils that pierced his reflection with startling clarity. And behind them was a ravenous hunger that burned fiercely.

"What the hell's going on?" he muttered as he looked at his hands. They seemed normal, but then he saw that his nails had elongated into points, his palms where rougher, and the hairs on the back had grown longer. He looked back at his reflection to find that his face as well had been altered. It was more angular, lupine almost. And when he opened his mouth, he found that his teeth had been reformed so that his canines were even longer and sharper than normal. It wasn't his face any longer. It was the face of an animal.

There was a snap of a twig and he spun around. Instinctively, he sniffed the air and caught the scent of another creature. It struck him as odd that he could smell something that he couldn't even see, but the thought was completely forgotten. Bending into a crouch, he started to stalk in the direction of the scent. The animal was downwind, so that he was safe as the creature's smell blew into his waiting nostrils. His mouth watered as he crept closer. He parted the branches of a shrub and found what he was seeking.

It was a doe, grazing in the moonlight. Its lithe form bent gracefully as it nibbled on the low-growing plants. Grey's vision started to get a little cloudy and his breathing heightened. All other sounds seemed to disappear, save the pounding heartbeat of the mammal. Without meaning to, a low growl escaped his throat. The doe snapped up its head and bound off. Clenching his jaw, Grey gave chase.

For a while, it seemed that he wasn't catching up. But he smelled something in the air that was getting stronger and closer. It was fear. This fear fueled him, and in a few more bounds, he started to close the gap. Soon, he saw the frantic movements of the doe as she weaved back and forth in an effort to lose him, but he was not deterred. When it was just a few feet away, he coiled his legs and leapt forward, clawed hands outstretched and lips pulled back in a snarl. He landed on its back, forcing her to buckle down as momentum rolled them forward. His fingers wrapped around its neck, its pulse throbbing beneath them. It struggled to buck him off, but he just gripped tighter. Finally, he bent down and sank his new canines where the blood flow was strongest, and the doe screamed in surprise. With a flick of his neck, he tore out its throat, and watched as it struggled feebly and breathed its last. Grey then fell upon the carcass, biting through muscle and sinew, cleaving the very flesh from the bones. The taste was phenomenal, like nothing he had ever had. It almost made him wonder why on earth he even ate the food he used to.

_Used to…_

Those two words made him stop long enough to realize what he was doing. He looked from the bloody carcass to his hands and the horror returned to him. He backed away and threw up near a tree. "What is wrong with me," he croaked.

The snap of another twig alarmed him, but instead of heading towards it, he bolted in the opposite direction. A few minutes later, a group of hikers stumbled into the area, finding the half-eaten remains of the deer and hearing what sounded to a be a mournful howl.


	3. The Hunt Begins

_The Hunt Begins_

It was one of those days. The sky was clear, the sun was high in the sky, and the very air was clear. It seemed like one of those perfect days out in the wood. But there was something not right. There was an eerie silence, as if the presence of another being is keeping all the other creatures cowering silently in fear. The twittering of birds was absent, the sound of crunching leaves was amiss, and even the insects weren't venturing forth.

There was a movement on the earth as a nose poked out of a hole. It's followed it as the hare cautiously emerged from its burrow. It scampered slowly forward and sniffed the air. It began to forage around for a meal, its nose leading it close to a seemingly empty cave. The hare stopped at the mouth of the cave and stood on its hind legs. It sniffed the air again, trying to ascertain if there was danger awaiting it. Sensing none, it proceeded into the cavern, sniffing for any vegetation. Eventually, it gave up and turned around to hop back outside. As it neared the mouth of the cave, it senses a movement behind it, and started to run, but it was too late. A clawed hand reached out from the darkness, catching the small mammal by its back and breaking it. The animal hung limply in the hand's fingers, which ended in long, dirty claws.

The owner moved into the light, revealing a very grungy and exhausted looking Grey. Without even thinking about it, he brought the dead thing to his mouth and started tearing off strips of flesh with his teeth. Eventually, he discarded the carcass into the far reaches of the cavern and stepped further into the light.

"I can't keep living like this," he whispered. A month had passed since that night, and he was not doing well. He was ashen, gaunt, and looked to be on the verge of collapsing. He had isolated himself away from human contact choosing to feed on the small animals that surrounded the area. It wasn't completely satisfying, but it sustained him enough that he didn't go insane. And within that month, he began to get a sense of what he was. He found that he had heightened senses and could change his body into different forms. The most normal kept him looking nearly human, adding muscle and hair to his frame, stretching his face into a more lupine shape, clawing his hands and feet, as well as granting him several inches in height. The other two disturbed him, for the left his human form altogether. One turned him into a wolf of normal size and stature while the other changed him into a canine of beastly proportions. Grey didn't like turning into the larger one, whose immense size rivaled that of a horse and was very hard to control. Then there was the last form that terrified him the most. He turned his head to see the deep claw marks on the cave walls and shuddered. He pushed the thought out of his mind and emerged from the cave. As the days had passed, he had gotten better at controlling his newfound abilities. He hadn't truly mastered them yet, but he could change from one form to the other with ease without succumbing to his temper, which seemed to be a lot stronger now.

Grey looked around at the lush green forest and when he closed his eyes, he could "see" all those that tried to hide themselves from him. His sense of smell could detect the aura of the smallest of creatures, but that wasn't what he was after. Brushing the hair out of his eyes, he concentrated on finding an aura that didn't match those of the forest, but rather his. He stood there unmoving for several minutes, waiting for a flicker of what he was searching for. An hour had passed and still, nothing. He was about to give up when he smelled something out of place. It was faint, but it was definitely something not natural. Without giving it a second thought, he sprinted in the general direction of the smell. The scent wasn't getting stronger, but he knew he was going in the right direction. Slowly, he started to bend forward as he ran and when he tripped over a root, he phased into a wolf as he sailed into the air. Immediately, the world seemed so different through the eyes of a wolf. Colors seemed somewhat sharper, but that didn't seem important. His sense of smell however was everything. He could literally "see" the trail of the scent he was following, which as now fading, but was there nonetheless. His paws pounded the ground as it led him back towards his town. He was a little confused but was not surprised. _Figures they'd hang around here_, he thought.

He stopped at the park and sniffed around for a little bit. The scent was being overlapped by dozens of others, humans no doubt, but he was able to separate them and follow the one he was looking for. He circled around the park, letting his nose lead him until he saw a limp form leaning against a tree. He eyed it suspiciously and approached with caution. When the body stirred he growled and it froze. It looked at him, and he could see that its green eyes were dripping with fear. He also detected something else. There was the scent of blood in the air, and he realized that it was coming from the person before him, who was shaking.

"Please," she said, for it was a girl, "don't kill me. I'm begging you, just leave me alone. I didn't want this. It wasn't my fault. Please, just leave me alone."

Grey tilted his head in confusion. He recognized the voice and without meaning to, shifted back into a person. She gasped and cringed away from his hand as he reached for her. He should be infuriated. She was one of the monsters that tried to kill. But seeing her as she was now, he couldn't help but pity her.

"You already seem pretty banged up. What happened to you Ali?"

"Don't call me that," she flinched. "That's not my name. That's just what _they_ just started to call me ever since I joined them. They've done nothing but push me around since I'm the _runt_. Deb even screwed around with my hair by trying to dye it blonde."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What is your name then?"

She hesitated before answering, "Elle. My name is Elle. I'm thirteen years old, my family thinks I'm dead, and I have no one else now."

"Elle, do you know who I am," Grey asked.

"How could I forget?" she chuckled weakly. "You were that guy that Liam and the others tried to kill about a month ago. I felt so horrible after they did that to you. So bad in fact that after a while, I told them that I was leaving."

"What happened?"

"Well, Liam didn't like it, not one bit. He said that I should just let it go and that you were dead. That it was a part of life. I refused to accept it and he said that if I wanted to leave, I would have to go through him first. I had no choice then. I didn't want to stay, so I faced him. As you can see, I barely made it out alive. But now, I have no idea what to do. There's so much I still don't know and probably never will."

"Elle, can you tell me what the hell is happening to me. I mean, why is it that I can change into a dog? Why do I feel stronger faster, more superior than before? What am I?"

"I can only tell you what I know, which isn't much," she sighed. "You and I are part of an ancient race that has existed long before humans ever did. We are hunters, predators, and some might say monsters. We are the werewolves."

Grey was silent for a bit. How could it be possible? Werewolves don't exist. Those furry things that came about once every full moon? It just didn't happen. And yet there he stood, a being that could change into several wolf-like beings, but under his command, and there was no full moon. How could this happen?

"Did I become one because you lot bit me," he whispered.

She snorted. "Myth. It isn't passed on that way. The only way to become one is to be born one, or so I've been told. You have to have the gene, so somewhere in your family tree a werewolf must've married in. There are a lot of things that must be going though your mind right now. Like how come you can change when the moon isn't even full? I don't have the answer to that. Liam didn't really see it fit to teach me lycan lore. He was more obsessed with preserving his own power."

"So what happens now?"

Elle shrugged. "I don't know. Without my own pack, I'd probably die and get picked off by some other supernatural being. The newly-changed, which is something we have in common, don't last very long on their own. At least, without going berserk and fighting everything that moves. In other words, there's nothing left for me. What about you, what do you plan on doing?"

"Killing Liam and his pack," he said coldly.

"Well, you found one of them already. You can forget what I said before. If you want to kill me, go ahead. It's what I deserved for letting them do that to you."

Grey reached out and stroked her hair, which was brown now that the dye had been washed out. Even though she believed it to be her fault, he knew it wasn't. She offered to save him, even wanting to stop them, but she was still too young, and they outnumbered her. Well, no longer."

"I'm not going to kill you Elle."

"Why not?"

"For one, I know that you had no hand in my apparent death, so you are forgiven. And second, I'm going to nee help if I'm going to take down this Liam. I can't do it alone."

She looked at him. "I won't be much help you know. I don't know any more about us than you do at this point. Why would you want me?"

"Because like I said, I can't go at this alone. And I'm not leaving you by yourself either. So come along now, we'll figure this all out," Grey smiled as he extended a hand. "So, any ideas on how we do this little massacre of ours?"

She grasped his hand and clumsily got to her feet, tripping over them as she does so and falling into Grey's arms. Flustered, she answered, "We can't take them all at once. Our best chance is to pick them off one by one."

"Who do we go after first?"

"Chris," she said without hesitation. "He'll be the easiest to find. Deb would follow, and hopefully Liam if he doesn't take in anymore dogs, which I'm pretty sure he won't."

"You ready for this then?" he asked. She only nodded and gazed at the night sky. He mimicked her and whispered, "Alright. Let the hunting begin."


	4. New Prey

_New Prey_

Six times the moon bloomed full since the night they formed their alliance. Six months had passed since Grey embarked on his quest for vengeance. Elle had been right then. Chris had been the easiest to find. It took them only three weeks to catch him while he was breaking into a house. Although more experienced, he wound up losing his life to the two newly-changed werewolves with a rage that more than rivaled his own. Unfortunately, they killed him before they could learn anything about Liam or his plans. And finding Deb proved to be much harder than Chris. Somehow, it seemed that she had gotten wind of their motives and had been successfully evading them. More than once they nearly had her, but when it seemed that they almost had their claws around her throat, she would slip away, leaving hardly a trail to follow.

They tracked her for miles, usually in a stolen vehicle of some sort. But they were getting used to tracking her on foot, especially in wolf form. Their pursuit led them further north, until after five months of sniffing around, they found themselves in Canada. Back then, they relied on stealing what food they could to survive. Grey felt guilty at first, but the thought of Liam still breathing out there quickly replaced the feeling with anger. Clothing had been an issue as well, since they couldn't keep their clothes on when they phased into wolves. They had to bury the clothes they abandoned as well as steal others to replace them. At first, there was the awkwardness of dealing with each other's nudity as humans, but they eventually got used to just separating a short distance and changing alone.

Elle pawed the frozen ground. _We should probably rest here for the night. We'll pick up on Deb's trail tomorrow._

It took Grey a while to get used to, but when he phased into a wolf with her, she showed him that they could communicate using thoughts. He wasn't sure how it worked, but it sure made things more convenient. _All right, we'll take refuge near those pines. There's bound to be an outcropping of some sort we could use. Plus, _he sniffed the air, _the elk appear to be plentiful in this region. We should hunt before turning in._

_Agreed,_ she nodded as she shook her dark brown fur, which stood out against the white snow. They had chosen to keep in their normal wolf forms instead of the massive ones because it would have drawn less attention, even though seeing a pair of wolves instead of a pack was enough to cause suspicion. Regardless, they had managed to slip by with only a few scuffles and one or two mishaps when one of them suddenly loses their temper.

_Alright, you go find us a place to stay for the night. I'll go and hunt us some dinner._

_Actually, I was thinking the opposite. Grey, you have been doing all the work as of late. Let me pick up some of the slack every once in a while._

Grey was reluctant about this arrangement. Most of the time, he had to remind himself that he wasn't operating alone. He wasn't used to depending on anyone else besides himself, but he realized that given the situation he had no choice. There was no way he could have gotten this far on his own. _Can you handle the elk? The bulls are pretty large._

She glared at him and snorted. _What do I look like, a pup? I can handle myself fine, thank you very much. I've been at this longer than you, so shut up._ Without another word, she turned tail and vanished into the trees, leaving only her small tracks in the snow. Resigned, Grey started scouting the surrounding area for a suitable place to spend the night. Within minutes, he discovered a colossal, hollowed out log that could accommodate two medium-sized mammals. Taking no pleasure in doing so he raised his hind leg and marked the side to keep potential intruders away. Satisfied, he started off to look for Elle to make sure she hadn't gotten herself killed.

It didn't take him long to find her. The scent of blood hung in the air and all he had to do was follow it. Sure enough, he found Elle's dark brown form snarling at an injured bull. He could see she had gotten a hind leg, which was now bleeding, but this just left the animal aggravated and dangerous. It bellowed and lowered its head slightly when she got close, ready to jab with its deadly antlers. Grey sighed. _She had to pick a bull._

Crouching low, Grey started circling the perimeter, drawing closer to the animal's flanks. There was no wind, so his scent won't carry over. And the bull seems distracted with holding Elle at bay to notice the danger approaching behind it. Grey was a mere twenty feet away and he paused to take a glance at Elle. She had noticed his advance and only gave a slight nod. In response, Grey shot forward like bullet, weaving back and forth while staying out of the buck's field of vision, his footfalls muffled by the snow. When he was a few feet away, Grey sprang up and momentum carried him onto the bull's back. Before the animal could react, he sank his teeth into the back of its neck.

The animal shrieked as it ran around wildly, trying to shake him off. Grey clamped his jaws harder as he hung on for dear life. He dug his claws into its shoulder, managing to get a hold into its thick hide. Had it been a cow (female), he would have been able to snap its neck, but this was not the case. The bull twisted and jumped as it both tried to throw him off and catch him on the ends of its antlers.

_Dammit Elle! If you're going to do something, now would be the ideal time!_

He was starting to loosen his grip. He tried to dig his hind claws into its back, but they just slipped off. His front paws were shaken loose as well, so he was just hanging by his teeth. He was about to let go of those too when he heard a very menacing snarl in front of him. The bull heard it as well, for he felt it rear up as it bellowed. He also heard something splinter and moments after, the animal was toppling backwards. Using his remaining strength, he pushed himself off the animal before it crushed him as it fell with a deadened thud. Grey shook his head to clear it and saw Elle with her maw dripping with blood, her frame heaving as she breathed heavily. The bull lay on its side, dark blood pouring out of a hole where its throat had been and staining the white snow crimson.. Its left hind leg had snapped under its weight and was now bent the wrong way. Elle licked her chops and started lapping up the pool of steaming blood.

_You sure took your time,_ Grey muttered as he followed suit.

_I needed an opening,_ she shrugged. _The thing still had an eye on me while it was tossing you around like a rag doll. If I jumped in too soon, I would have been speared at the end of those damned things._

_And any later, I would have been flung off and possible trampled._

_Oh, quit being melodramatic,_ she muttered as she started to rip the hole in the throat bigger. Grey, in turn, started clawing at the underbelly until it split. He stuck his snout in and started pulling out its intestines. They both kept at this until they had hollowed the creature out. They separated the organs into two piles: one they would eat and one they would not. Next were the legs. Grey grabbed one forelimb while Elle grabbed the other and they both pulled until the joints dislocated. They did the same with the hind legs and added those to the pile they would consume.

They were in no hurry and took their time in feeding. They devoured the organs first before starting on the limbs. In less than an hour, the bones had been stripped clean and all that was left was to dispose of the remains. This they did by burying what organs they didn't eat. The carcass they decided they would just leave to rot. Let the scavengers have their fill. Elle turned her green eyes at Grey. _So where are we sleeping tonight?_

_The best I could find was a rotting log. It can hold both of us, but someone's gonna have to stay up and keep watch. I'll do it first and we'll switch off._

Elle rolled her emerald eyes. _The one time you have to look for a place for us to stay and the best you could do was a log?_

_Bite me._

At that, she snapped playfully at his heel, skipping away as he turned to snap back. Grey shook his head and continued padding towards the hollow log. She stepped in front of it and hesitated. Grey nudged her in with his muzzle before settling beside her. it took only minutes before he heard her snoring lightly. He pulled back his lips into a smile and closed his own eyes, heightening his already superb sense of hearing. The night was quiet and he heard nothing save for the activity of the local nocturnals. But he stayed vigilant. He couldn't afford to lower his guard for even a moment. It took Grey a while to get used to sleeping with one eye half opened, so to speak, but it was a necessity he had to learn.

About three hours later, he felt a light shove at his shoulder, signaling that it was the end of his shift. Immediately, his muscles relaxed as he started to recede into slumber. They kept at this system until just before dawn, each getting enough sleep to function "normally". They set off early and Elle managed to find an empty log cabin nearby. They entered by breaking a window and sniffed around. It had been empty for quite some, so they figured it would be safe to linger. They found some clothes in a closet and Elle took what she needed to the bathroom. After a few moments he heard her voice smugly say, "You found us a shitty log. I found us a whole damn cabin. You fail!"

"Oh shut up," Grey grumbled as he phased back and started to pull on the denim jeans he found. "You were the one who insisted on hunting, so I don't wanna hear you complain about the sleeping arrangements."

The door to the bathroom opened to reveal a girl wearing a white long-sleeved cotton shirt under a brown vest paired with tan moccasins. Grey was taken aback for a moment, for she looked so much older than her true age of thirteen. She looked closer to his age, and this thought reminded him that he probably looked older than sixteen as well. A quick glance at a nearby mirror confirmed his suspicions, as he appears to have aged two years in just six months. He pulled on a thick wool sweater over the white T-shirt and sighed. "There's gotta be a way to do this without having to keep ditching our clothes."

Elle nodded. "There is a way to do it where our clothes sorta just meld with our bodies when we change, but Liam and the others never taught me any of that. They just did it for me and told me not to ask how they did it."

"Well, before we kill Deb, that's one of the things we'll drag out of her." Grey declared as he pulled on a worn coat. It smelled like it was skinned from an elk and he smiled. With the wool and the coat, he had given a whole new meaning the phrase "wolf in sheep's clothing". He found that there was a set sheathed hunting knives in one of the drawers and stowed these into one of the coat pockets. Elle took off the hunting rifle mounted on the wall and managed to scrounge up some ammunition along with some cash hidden in odd parts of the cabin. Prepared, they set out once again to pick up on the trail of the elusive Deb.

It was a bit awkward at first tracking their quarry as humans, since they'd been running as wolves for several nights in a row now. But as they trekked through the trees, bare feet sinking into the wet snow, their heightened senses made them more comfortable searching on two feet instead of four. They could detect something in the air, a kind of aura that didn't seem natural. It was faint, probably days old, but they could still sense it. They walked slowly, wary of their surroundings, taking care to notice any clues that could lead them further in the right direction. Around midday, they picked up a scent that went along with the strange aura. Elle recognized it right away as Deb, and they picked up the pace.

They were lead to a small town, where the scent was everywhere. It was a quiet place, and people were just starting to get up. No one looked suspicious, but only Elle seemed relaxed. Grey's brown eyes shifted from face to face, trying to find one that harbored the slightest bit of guilt or hostility. Instead, he found them filled with anxiety and fear. As they walked, he managed to snippets of conversation.

"Another one was taken," an old woman said.

"Who was it?" asked another.

"Frank's daughter," she answered. "And no one knows how. No doors where broken, no windows were shattered. It was as if the one responsible appeared out of thin air."

_Thin air?_ Grey thought as they made their way towards the tavern. Something foul was at work in this place, and it wasn't Deb. Something in his gut told Grey that it was something far more sinister.

The tavern was pretty empty, save for one customer snoring at the bar. The bartender looked up from polishing a glass, gauged their appearance with beady eyes, then went back to what he was doing. He looked to be in his early forties, judging from his weathered face and white hair. When Grey and Elle took a seat at the bar he asked, "What'll it be lads?"

"Two beers and some information if you can spare it," Grey answered.

"Information?" he grunted as he filled two glasses with amber liquid. "You're not from around here I take it?"

"No sir we're not," Grey replied as he took a sip. The liquid burned slightly, but he drank it anyway. He would need more than blood and raw meat to sustain him. Elle left hers untouched. "By chance, did a middle aged brunette pass by here recently?"

"Might have. Don't really remember. So much has happened in the past few days," he said wearily.

"What do you mean?" Elle wondered as she fingered the rim of her glass.

"Ah 'sright, you don't know. People have been disappearing a lot lately. At first, we just thought they was getting lost. That is, before the bodies started turning up."

"Bodies?"

"Dead as dust they were. Had a look of shock on 'em. And they were as white as the snow they were found in. But the strangest thing out of all of it was the fact that they were all drained. No blood in 'em. People are scared now. No one feels safe anymore, myself included. Especially after last night."

_Last night?_ Grey thought as he finished his glass. _Could he be…_

"What's your name sir?" Elle asked.

"S'Frank," he answered tiredly. "And don' worry about paying for those drinks. Don't matter to me no more. My little girl is gone. If you two know what's good for you, you'll get out of here as soon as you can."

"Not until we find who we're looking for," Grey said tersely.

"Then do so at your peril," Frank warned. "There's an in just across the street you could stay at until you sort your affairs. Don't worry about paying. Maggie is kind to travelers such as yourselves and will be sure to accommodate you."

"Thank you. I'm sorry for your loss," Grey bowed. He raised Elle's glass, murmuring, "Cheers mate," before draining it. They left the tavern and started questioning the other townspeople about Deb, although none were of any help. They were too distraught over the recent kidnapping to be able to remember anything clearly. In addition, they seemed to be frightened of them, and the fact that Elle had a shotgun slung over her shoulder certainly didn't help. By nightfall, they trudged to the inn empty-handed. Maggie, a kind, old woman happily led them to a room with twin beds. Grey noticed that although she was smiling, her eyes were very much in mourning. He thanked her for the room before closing the door.

"Well, that was unproductive," he muttered.

"I know she's here Grey," Elle quipped as she sank onto one of the beds. "There's just a lot of stuff going on in this town. And the people are scared shitless. It's a wonder they even go outside at all."

"What could be causing it all though?"

"That's pretty obvious if you think about it. Pale white corpses? Drained of blood? There's only one creature that would do that sort of thing."

Several seconds passed as images of six months before flashed before his eyes. He saw himself walking in a park beside a girl. He remembered how he wanted to confess something. He remembered how two figures appeared, therefore changing his life forever. But most importantly, he remembered the face of one of those figures. It was pale, menacing, and eerily beautiful. Grey growled, "Vampire!"

Elle nodded. "This'll make looking for Deb harder, assuming she hasn't fled already. We should probably do the same if we don--"

"No," he interrupted in a low voice. His hands were shaking lightly and he could feel his blood boiling. He knew what was happening, and he did not care. For the first time, he welcomed the rage. He wanted it to fuel him, give him power. "We are going to kill that monstrosity before anything else!"

Sensing the danger, Elle got up and pushed him down to the nearest bed. "Relax Grey. Going berserk now is not going to solve anything. You'll end up hurting innocent people and I know you don't want that."

At the very thought of seeing anything happen to Frank or Maggie, he felt the bloodlust recede. She was right. If they were going to do this, they were going to have to do it right. They would need a plan. He looked to her wistfully and asked, "What do you propose we do then?"

"Remember that elk last night?" Elle smiled. As she said this, Grey noticed that her canines had elongated and her eyes shifted from their usual green color to a dark yellow with slits for pupils. "Just think of the vampire as an albino elk on two legs with fangs. What do you do?"

Grey thought about it and he felt his teeth change as he smiled as well. The sucker would be treated as prey and be hunted down. He started to feel slightly giddy at the thought. He could almost feel his claws going through the monster He could almost here the bastard shrieking as Grey ripped him or her limb from limb. He could almost _taste_ the undead flesh in his mouth. His eyes were altered to match Elle's as he shifted his gaze from the moon behind the window to hers. "I like the way you think."

"So you think you can hold off on killing Deb for a few nights?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"Deb's gonna have to wait," he replied still smiling. "As of now, we are going to personally make sure that that vampire never hurts another human again."


	5. Eyes of Blood

_Eyes of Blood_

The town, bathed in the light of the moon above, lay silent. Its people were asleep, yet still vigilant. This time, they had taken extra precautions to barricade themselves in their houses. They really believed that such measures would be enough. They believed that it would protect them.

They could not be more wrong.

The moon the floated in the obsidian sky was then obscured by the passing clouds. In the darkness, a pair of red eyes gleamed hungrily from the distance. Like a shadow, its owner moved lithely amongst the trees. The figure came to a stop at the forest's edge and a brief break in the clouds let enough moonlight illuminate her features. She stood nearly six feet in height, a gaunt hand resting on the tree's trunk. Her face, which was deathly white in the moon, had an animalistic look about it while her long brown hair, tied in a ponytail, matched the deer pelts she wore as clothes. Her fangs flashed as he smiled. It was just too easy. When she was once more shrouded by darkness, she moved closer into the town.

She leapt lightly from room to room, making her way towards the inn. A few days earlier, she got wind that two travelers had come into town. This thought excited her. She had gotten bored with picking off the townspeople one by one. Their movements had become too easy to read, so it was nice to throw something new into the mix. As the vampire drew closer towards the inn, a thought occurred to her. These two travelers behaved rather strangely. She had been studying them for a while, and she knew that they must have known about the disappearances of her other victims already, yet they seemed to be showing no signs of fear. Instead, they seemed to be determined, as if they were looking for something. The vampire also noted that the young man had this look of hatred burning in his eyes, although she didn't know why. She put the thought aside. It didn't matter why he was pissed of that day. All that mattered was that she was going to drain them dry soon enough, and this pleased her as she landed nimbly onto the inn's roof.

Bending into a hunter's crouch, she started creeping towards a particular window. She watched them long enough to know which room they were staying in, and the fact that they didn't seem to heed the townspeople's warnings about her made things much easier as she slipped through the unlocked window. She gave the room a simple look-over before resting her eyes at the two separate beds. The one on her left contained the young girl who was clutching a rifle like a stuffed animal. The vampire paid no heed to this and started walking towards the male. The sound of his breathing and his steady pulse excited her. Normally, she would have carried off her victim and fed in the forest, but seeing as she was feeling particularly greedy tonight, she would indulge herself with these two. She drew back her lips and started to lean forward. Her nose twitched as she breathed in his scent. He smelled strange, and something in the back of her head was screaming for her to either kill the man before her outright or to just run. She didn't know why this was, but she ignored it anyway. Her fangs had just about touched his neck when she heard something click.

She managed to avoid getting shot in the head, but the bullet wound up in her arm instead. She hissed in pain as she saw the girl sitting up in her bed with the rifle raised. She was about to leap towards the girl when instinct compelled her to jump back as Grey swiped a knife towards her belly. He only managed to cut the pelts and this infuriated him. He growled menacingly as he pulled out the other knife. His whole body seemed to change as he grew a few inches. His hands became clawed, his canines got longer, his face became strangely angular, and his eyes went from brown to a bright yellow with slits for pupils. Elle was also exhibiting such changes and they were both snarling threateningly. The vampire took a step back, eyes widening in horror as she looked from one to the other.

"Damn, I can't believe she was actually stupid enough to fall for something that simple," Elle laughed, her voice slightly lower than usual.

"I can't believe _I_ was stupid enough to agree to be bait," Grey scowled in response. "Did you realize that her fucking touched me? How long were you gonna' wait to pull the trigger? When she got a couple of pints out of me?"

"Oh hush! I got her _before_ she bit you, didn't I?"

Grey shook his head and was about to retort when he noticed the vampire inching towards the window. "She's trying to make a break for it!"

At these words the vampire turned tail and jumped through the window. Elle fired another shot, but only managed to clip her shoulder. Grey was at her heels in an instant with Elle close behind. The vampire was fast, but rage fueling Grey game him the speed match hers. A few more shots rang behind him, but only a few grazed the fleeing vampire. The bullet wound in her arms was leaking drops of blood, and Grey could smell that it was a mix of differing scents. He assumed that it was the blood of all the victims she had preyed upon, and this just pissed him off even more. He found himself closing the gap between his quarry, and this was just fine with him. She turned around, and he could see the absolute terror in her eyes. This made him smile. _Let her cower._

They were on the last roof at the edge of town. If she makes it into the forest, Grey knew that she had a good chance of escaping. He could already see her rippling muscles getting read to make the jump into the trees, so he decided to mimic her. In one bound, she managed to clear several yards towards a tall tree. She turned her head eagerly, expecting to see her pursuer far behind. Her enthusiasm melted into shock as she found Grey in the air right behind her. With a roar, he plunged both knives still clutched in his clawed hands into her back. The force of the impact shot her downward towards the tree's trunk as he felt the blades slip out of his hands. The vampire crashed right through the wood, causing the tree to fall down and she kept on going for several yards even though she had already hit the ground.

Grey landed with a heavy thud and he walked slowly towards her. The vampire weakly rose, disoriented from the crash. The scent of her victims' blood was pouring out of the twin gashes on her back, and this filled Grey's senses. Without giving her a chance to retaliate, he struck, hand going straight into her gut while his jaws clamped around her throat. She gave a slight gasp of surprise before he snapped her neck.

The sudden rush of blood in his mouth surprised him. At first, he started drinking it, relishing the sweet taste of it. But then he remembered who it once belonged to, and after throwing down the lifeless corpse, spat in disgust. To show his contempt, he pulled out the knives and proceeded to dismember the corpse, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Elle standing behind him, already reverted back to her human form with the rifle slung over her shoulder.

"That's enough Grey, give it a rest. It's over."

At once, the fury within was quelled and he could feel himself shrinking back to normal size. Fatigue consumed him and he slumped against a nearby boulder. Never before had he felt so tired. Was this an effect of the rage that empowered him earlier? Grey pondered on this as Elle inspected the body. Her throat had been torn out and her neck was now bent at a weird angle. Her stomach now had a large cavity where blood was just streaming out. Elle whistled. "Looks like someone was excited."

"Pissed off is more like it," Grey said weakly. He was grateful that his clothes hadn't been ripped to shreds by his transformation. They were only slightly stretched, but they still fit comfortably enough. "What do we do with the body?"

"I don't know. Either leave it here for the sun or burn it. I'd go for the latter on this one. I'm guessing they don't much sun around here and I'm not taking chances in case I'm right. We're burning this bitch."

Too tired to say anything else, Grey just watched as Elle pulled out two bottles and empty them onto the corpse. She then threw a lit match and sat back next to Grey while they watched the flames engulfed it. The last thing Grey saw of it was its dull red eyes, now devoid of any life, before they shriveled up against the growing inferno. They stayed there until the fire burnt itself out and they scattered the ashes. A few beams of sunlight trickled through the clouds, virtually obliterating the vampire remains. Satisfied with this, the pair walked back into town.

They were met by stares and silence as they made their way through. Grey noticed that most of these stares were directed at him. It took him a while to realize that the cause of this was all over his apparel. When he punched through the vampire and bit her neck, blood had flowed onto his clothes. In addition, he was still holding the knives stained with blood in his hands. Grey just shrugged and continued walking. He didn't really give a rat's ass what they thought. They had more important matters to deal with. Grey led Elle into the tavern and they saw a wizened Frank behind the bar. His eyes flickered up from his work and froze when they took in Grey's close.

"What in God's name happened to you two?"

"Let's just say you won't have to worry about people disappearing anymore," Elle answered as she placed her rifle onto the bar. "Whiskey, straight up if you please."

Frank was still processing what she said, so she reached over the bar, grabbed a bottle and a glass and poured it herself. The sound of clinking glass brought him back and he asked, "What do you mean I don't have to worry anymore? Were those gunshots last night made by you two?"

"Yes, and it means that whatever it was that's been killing you're neighbors is now dead," Grey said point-blank as he sat himself on a stool. Frank stared at him, then at his shirt, then at the knives at his hand. Grey could see that instead of relief, this old man was afraid. This confused him, but was not important. "Now," he stated while he stabbed the two knives onto the counter, "it's time for us to pick up where we left off. We are looking for a brunette who's probably in her late-twenties that has come by around here recently. A traveler just like us. Did you see her?"

Frank eyed the two knives nervously. Grey could see his eyes flickering back and forth as he deliberated on how best to answer him. Elle calmly sipped her drink while Grey sat there and waited. Minutes passed, and he could feel a growing presence behind them. He assumed them to be the rest of the town peering in to see what was going on. Eventually, Frank sighed and answered, "The woman you described did pass by here, days before you two did. She stayed only one night 'fore leaving the next morning. That was just a few hours before you two arrived."

There was a sound of something shattering and both Frank and Grey looked to see Elle holding fragments of her glass in her shaking hand. "Hours? You mean to tell me she was actually here _hours_ before us?"

"Which way?" Grey asked hastily, sensing Elle's growing temper. She hadn't let loose like he had, and now was neither the time nor the place for her to.

"Why should I tell anything to pair of killers?" he frowned. Elle's eyes started to turn yellow.

"Because," Grey whispered in a dangerous tone, "unless you don't, many people here are going to die. This is not a threat Frank, don't get me wrong. We're thankful to you and Maggie for accommodating us, but we need this information. If you value the lives of everyone here, you'll tell us which…way…she…went"

Frank was silent once more and this put Grey on edge. He could already see Elle leaving indentions on the counter as she gripped it so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Frank followed his gaze and, seeing that Grey had not been exaggerating, took a small step back. This reaction was appropriate, for Elle now had a particularly murderous look in her green eyes.

"Sh-she was headed d-due west," he stammered nervously. "D-didn't say where sh-she was goin' or what her name was. That's all I can tell you and if you plan on killing her for reasons known only to you, I can only say that you are no better than the monster you hunted down."

There were several moments of silence as Grey studied his face. There was no guilt in the old man's face. On the contrary, it was emanating anxiety and fear. Grey smiled grimly. He could see that he truly did think of them as nothing more than monsters, and he had no idea how right he was. They were beasts in human skin, hiding amongst the human herds. Grey gave Elle a slight nod and turned back to Frank.

"That'll do. We'll be on our way now, having lost a week in staying here. You have been more than hospitable, and we'll never forget it. Come on Elle."

She hopped off the barstool then stopped. She turned around and held the bottle of liquor towards Frank, who just raised a hand and motioned for her to keep it. With a shrug, Elle walked off with the bottle in one hand and the rifle in the other. Grey pulled the knives off the counter, gave Frank a slight bow, and followed suit. The crowd that had gathered outside the tavern parted quickly and backed away. He could see most look just as terrified, if not more, at the mere sight of them as the thought of the vampire kidnapping and killing one of their own. This irritated Grey, but there was nothing he could do about it. They were just being sensible humans. Without another word, they left the town and continued their pursuit of the elusive Deb.

They ran for nearly a week, nonstop in an attempt to make up for the time lost hunting for the vampire. By the time night had fallen, they both collapsed, clearly exhausted. They dragged themselves into a nearby abandoned cave and recuperated there for a few hours. So tired were they that it took them a while to realize that the scent they had been following was practically screaming at them. A closer look deeper into the cave revealed the form of a curled up person who seemed to be sleeping. Grey's blood-shot eyes sparkled maliciously as he drew the two knives and as Elle raised the rifle. They had found her.


	6. The Promise

_The Promise_

Grey could feel the excitement building within him as he stepped closer towards the sleeping figure. He could already hear her screams bouncing off the cavern walls as the blades twirling in his fingers carved out her flesh. The very thought of it caused him to bare his teeth into a sadistic smile while his brown eyes gleamed hungrily. His nostrils flared as they took in the scent they had been chasing for months. Without thinking, he leapt for the sleeping figure, knives outstretched, paying no heed to the warning Elle was screaming behind him.

Too late did he realize that it had been too simple. He manage to catch a glimpse of Deb's face as it twisted into a malicious grin before he found himself on the ground with three short shafts buried in his torso. Dropping the knives, he writhed in agony and howled in agony. It felt like the shafts were burning and he ripped them out, tearing his own flesh in the process. Even so, the burning feeling did not go away. Instead, it seemed to spread throughout his body, razing the very veins that they coursed through. As he thrashed about, he vaguely heard the muted sounds of gunshots as they echoed throughout the cavern. Then, the only sounds he could hear were the sounds of his own gasping and moaning as the fire burned every fiber in his body. There was a clatter as something hit the ground and he felt cool hands raise his head.

"Grey? Oh my God! Are you alright?" Elle asked worriedly as she laid his head on her lap.

Energy practically consumed, he weakly uttered, "Does it look like I'm alright?"

The spasms had stop, and the blazing anguish had burnt to a light smolder. He looked up into her anxious green eyes and for a moment, time seemed to stop. He didn't know why, but his heart rate quickened slightly and he had the strangest urge to reach up and touch her face and tell her not to worry. The sound of coughing, however, ended the moment and, with some help from Elle, he raised his head to see what was making the sound.

In the faint moonlight, he could see Deb struggling to push herself off the ground. She was clutching her throat with one hand and while making sure not to put weight on a particular knee. Grey was pleased at the fact that the smell of her blood bathed the entire cavern. Deb, on the other hand, was glaring at them furiously through the brown hair that framed her face.

"You bitch!" she spat, still holding her bleeding neck. "You shot my knee!"

"Be thankful it wasn't your head," Elle snarled venomously. "I could have just killed you, you know? An inch or two to the side and I would have gotten your windpipe. But we need information so for the time being, you're a cripple. Now, what did you do to him?"

"Why should I tell you anything? From the looks of things, I have all the cards while you have nothing I need. It would take time, but I can simply regenerate these wounds. You have nothing to offer me, so why shouldn't I just leave him to die?"

A click answered her question as Elle pointed the rifle in he direction with one hand. "Because I'll kill you before you get the chance."

Deb seemed to flinch, but then retorted, "That won't do you any good. With me dead, not only will you not get any information, but you also won't know how to cure him."

Elle smiled. "Cure? Well, that helps a lot. I had forgotten that poisoning was your specialty."

"B-but, you don't know which one I used."

"That's simple," she scoffed. "Azlu venom was the one thing you always had on you, even when you slept. And I have been paying attention in the short time I was with you lot. I know there are ways to slow down the venom while his strengthened immune system burns it out. So really, we only need you for information now."

Deb's eyes widened as she whispered, "And should I refuse?"

"Then we have no further use for you. We'll find someone else to tell us what we need to know."

Grey could see what little color was left on Deb's face as she heard these words. The hand holding her bleeding neck started to shake and he could see that she was terrified. She didn't seem like the woman that sneered at him all those moons ago, and he almost pitied her. But the cold, numbing sensation that now spread throughout his body reminded him that she didn't deserve his empathy. Using what strength he had, he feebly reached for one of the knives to his right. Neither Elle nor Deb seemed to notice.

"K-kill me?" she stammered. "You wouldn't. You can't"

"You already know we killed Chris. What makes you think we won't do the same to you?"

"B-because," Deb stammered as she searched for the words, "because…it's against the Oath! That's right! _The People do not murder the People._ It is against the Oath to turn against your own kind."

"The Oath? Ha! When the three of you took me in, you never bothered to make sure I took the Oath. And if I remember correctly, none of you bothered to follow it anyway. Grey here was just as much a werewolf as you or I, yet you slew him anyway. That's pretty damned hypocritical of you to preach the Oath after doing something like that!"

"But why does it matter? He survived didn't he?"

"Be that as it may, you still intended to kill him; both then and now. And furthermore, the two of us aren't bound to any Oath; him, because you left him for dead, and me because you lot don't even follow it yourselves. So damn the Oath. Now, if you have nothing else worth hearing, I'm going to blow your fucking brains out."

"Wait! Wait! Fine, you win. It's not much, but I'll tell you what I know," she whimpered. Grey was impressed. Never before had he seen Elle like this in the months he spent with her. He would have told her "Good job" had he not been paralyzed.

"Where is Liam?"

"I don't know. After you left, he started going paranoid, thinking that you'd want to get back at him for what he did. When he heard about Chris, he freaked. He didn't care what happened to me so long as he could save his own skin. I haven't seen him since."

_Damn it!_ Grey thought. All he wanted was information on how to find the bastard that tried to kill him. But as it turned out, she was useless. If he had the choice, he would have killed her then and there. Elle, however, had more questions to ask.

"What about us? What can you tell us about our kind?"

"Not much," Deb mumbled. "Our pack was never into the lore of our race. Liam was more interested in expanding his own power, and we didn't question him."

"Do you know where we can learn about our history?"

"If you must know, nearly any werewolf can tell you the beginnings of our kind. However, I have heard rumors that the very first pack have a different version of the tale, and were thus banished by the later generations as heretics. To this day, it is said that they are still alive and in hiding. I wouldn't put too much hope in finding them though. If they really are alive, they have hidden themselves well. But if you truly wish to understand what you are, seek one of them out, and pray that luck is with you."

"What about the dreams?" Elle continued. Grey looked up at her when she asked this. _Dreams? What is she talking about?_

"I don't know what you mean," Deb said, looking confused.

"Ever since I changed and joined your ragtag pack, I've been having these nightmares filled with screaming, blood, and fire. They appear to be mere dreams, but I know that they are more than that. Why is it that I have them?"

Deb shook her head. "I don't know. I honestly don't. As I already told you earlier, my knowledge isn't worth much, if anything. But please, have mercy. Find it in your heart to spare my life and let me go."

She sounded so pathetic, so defeated that Grey actually felt sorry for her. So when Elle's face twisted furiously to deny her request, Grey reached for her face with his left hand. The action caused her to look down in surprise and he gave her a look saying to let the woman go. With a reluctant sigh, Elle lowered the rifle and took the hand on her face into her own. Her eyes gazed into his and they couldn't help but smile.

In that instant, Grey witnessed Deb's pleading face melt into one of malicious triumph. They didn't notice before, but while she was begging for her life, she was subtly positioning herself into a crouch. Now that Elle had lowered her weapon and diverted her attention, Deb chose that moment to leap forward with claws outstretched and lips pulled back into a sneer to reveal her extended fangs. Grey knew that Elle wouldn't be able to raise her weapon in time to either defend or strike back. He could see her starting to look up in surprise as Deb let out a triumphant roar, believing she had won. Grey chose that moment of overconfidence to place all of his strength into his right arm as it gripped the knife he was reaching for earlier. In one swift motion, he shot his arm forward, aiming for her face. The momentum of her leap made it impossible to evade his attack, causing the blade to pass easily through her skull. She wore a stunned expression before Grey gave the knife a final twist. He saw her eyes roll back as she fell to the side, no longer breathing.

"What the hell just happened?" Elle shakily said while holding a quivering rifle that was pointing at the spot where Deb previously was.

"What else? She took advantage of the situation and tried to take our lives when we had our guard down. I can't believe we actually fell for it though, even for a moment." Grey would have said more, but the effort it took to defend himself from her attack drained him of nearly all his strength.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Hang on for a sec," Elle said as she laid his head down gently and started rummaging through Deb's clothes. Grey turned his head and saw her pull out a small bottle glinting in the moonlight. She unscrewed the cork and placed it near his lips. "Drink."

He didn't question it and simply swallowed the contents. The fluid tasted disgusting and burned his throat, but it did send a warm sensation throughout his body. He could feel his strength slowly returning as the warmth spread. Grey turned to Elle and asked, "What was that?"

"Antidote," she answered simply. "I had a hunch that she would be carrying it with her."

"A hunch? What about all that crap you said about slowing down the venom long enough for my body to burn it out?"

"That was a bluff Grey. I don't know how to do any of that shit. I was just counting on her fear for her life to realize that your body is still not mature enough to fight off something as deadly as Azlu venom. Clearly it worked since she believed the lie."

He glared at her. "You mean to tell me that my life depended on whether or not your hunch was right?

"Pretty much," she shrugged.

"What if she didn't have the antidote? What if she realized you were lying? What if—"

"Oh shut up," she cut him off. "Look, it's useless to think of what could have gone wrong. Be thankful you're alive damn it! If you're gonna' worry about something, worry about what we're suppose to do now. Our only lead is now rotting right next to us. What's our next move?"

Grey remained silent for several minutes. What she said was true. The only other werewolf that they actually knew was now dead. They had no other way to track Liam down, nor did they gain any more knowledge about what they truly were. The only thing they had to go by was the fact that every other werewolf knew the history. This in itself was a problem, for he had no idea how to deal with other werewolves in a less hostile manner. Just the very thought of the beasts made his blood boil, for he hated them. There was however one piece of information Deb told them that he found interesting.

"What about the heretics?" he whispered.

"What about them?"

"I don't know. Something about them makes me curious. I want to hear their side of history that caused them to be shunned the rest of our kind. Maybe we can learn more from them than from anyone else."

"And how the hell are we supposed to find them?" she snapped. "We're already having enough problems locating one 'normal' werewolf, now you want to go find some rumored ones that may not even exist?"

"It was just an idea. You asked, I answered," Grey shrugged.

Elle sighed. "Look, I'm just saying that we have enough to deal with at the moment. Trying to get used to this new life _and_ tracking down a werewolf is hard enough. We don't need to be chasing down unproven tales."

"Okay, fine. What would you suggest then? We've been on this chase for six months now. He could be out of the country. He could be anywhere in the world for all we know."

"Not necessarily," she mused. "As far as I know, he's never been outside of the States. The territory is just too unfamiliar for him, so he's still in this continent I'm sure. Plus, we've just now rendered him packless. He was no other allies he can rely on because of his cruelty and any who find him alone and vulnerable would sooner rip him to shreds than help him."

Grey thought for a moment before saying, "Hang on. You say that most other werewolves are pretty much pissed at him because he's been acting like a jackass for years, right?"

"Right."

"What about young werewolves? One's that haven't heard of him yet because they themselves are discovering this world like we are now. Is it possible that since he know that we could be coming for him that he could be collecting newly changed to form a new pack to protect himself?"

"It's possible," she said slowly. "It could be the reason why he took me in the first place."

"Then it's settled. We're gonna assume that's he amassing a pack of newly changed werewolves to meet us, so we have to get stronger."

Grey was met with silence before he heard an odd scraping sound. He tilted his head to find that Elle had picked up the other knife that had fallen. He could feel her body trembling and at first he thought that she was crying. He tilted his head further and found not tears in her eyes, but bitter resentment. Her entire frame was quaking as she tried to contain her apparent anger. "You alright Elle?"

"I don't care how many pups he sends my way!" she hissed through grit teeth. "I will not rest until I see his bleeding head roll and his stinking carcass burn! Will you promise me something Grey?"

"What?"

"Before I met you, I felt so alone. You are the only friend that I've had since the Change. I have no one else and I don't want to go back to being alone again. When this is all over and Liam is dead, will you still be my friend?"

Grey looked at he curiously, for he had never heard her talk like this before. In the six months they spent together chasing Deb, she had changed from that battered girl in the park into, well, a werewolf. But now, he could she just how vulnerable she was and felt something stir in his chest. He pulled the knife out of her grip and, head still on her lap, sliced his right palm.

"Elle," he raised the bleeding hand, "I promise you that so long as there is still life in my body, you will never have to be alone."

Elle took the knife and sliced her left palm and grabbed his bleeding hand with it with a teary smile. She breathed a sigh of thanks before slumping over in exhaustion. Grey rose slowly, pulling of his wool sweater and folding it so she would have something to rest her head on. He staggered to the cave entrance, still weak from the poison. He looked up at the obsidian sky dotted with infinite stars. He looked down at his cut hand and watched as it healed before his eyes. Her blood was now his and his was hers. He planned to honor the promise he just made to her, even if it went clawing his way out of the gates of Hell to stay alive and keep her from having to feeling abandoned again. He smiled as he closed his hand into a fist and whispered to the stars, "Be careful Liam. It doesn't matter how many you send to stop us. We are coming. _That_ is a promise."


	7. The Blind Witch

_The Blind Witch_

"Give it up man. You lost."

A young man was panting heavily as he gazed around him. His comrades were scattered and dead. He himself was badly hurt, a wound above his eye was causing him to close the eyes and one of his arms was clearly broken. Instead of heeding the warning, he bared his fangs and charged forward. There was a sigh and the charging youth was cut off. He stopped to look at his chest to find that there was an arm speared right through it. A curse gurgled in his throat before his eyes glazed over in death.

Grey shook the body off his arm, frowning. It had been another six months since their encounter with Deb in that cave in Canada. Since their return to the states, they have been hounded left and right by fledgling werewolves, barely a month into the Change. It had appeared that they were right in assuming the Liam, in fear for his life, was recruiting the newly Changed as quickly as he could find them. And he always sent them in groups of three when they assaulted Grey and Elle. But there were times, like now, when they came in large groups of six or more. They guessed that it was because Liam was nervous that they were in the vicinity.

"It's a shame," he heard Elle say from behind. "I thought you were gonna' let this one go.

"As much as I would have wanted that, you know that it'll never happen Elle. They have no control of themselves and can't think rationally," he replied as he licked the back of his bloody hand. "Liam knows this. He knows that they won't survive these attacks. They're just a distraction so he can get away. That's why he's eluded us this long. He sends them to their deaths while he makes his escape."

Grey wiped his arm on the dead werewolf's shirt in disgust. At first, he had qualms about killing. But over time, he grew to simply not care about the mindless monsters. Still, it ticked him off that they were being used as tools. Monsters they may be, they were once human. This only fueled his desire to find Liam. Not only had the man ruined his life, but in turn ended so many others to save his own skin. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to find Elle looking at him earnestly. He could see weariness in her face that made her seem older than she really was. There was a streak of blood on her cheek, but not as much as him. She always managed to stay a lot cleaner than Grey whenever they were attacked. Maybe it was the fact that she had taken a liking to using guns to dispatch them from a distance. She seemed to have a natural affinity for them.

"Grey," she said calmly, "you need to calm down. I know it's hard and that Liam is a bastard for using them like this, but we'll get to him. The mere fact that we keep encountering them in large groups means that we're getting closer. He may be strong and cunning, but most of all he's afraid; the reason being that although he tried to kill us, we _didn't_ die."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If there's anything I've learned while I was with them, it's that if he wanted someone dead, they _stayed_ dead. No one ever survives once he decides their fate. But _we_ were strong enough to live on despite his attempts, and that's what makes him afraid. He knows that we're strong."

Grey couldn't help but smile. Liam may be powerful, but he was still human enough to feel terror. And it pleased Grey even more that the werewolf viewed _him_ as a threat, as someone worthy of being feared.

"He's really afraid that we'll get to him?" he asked with a grin.

"I'll bet he's absolutely terrified," she smiled broadly, flashing her gleaming canines. For some reason, that smile of hers just touched him in a way he didn't expect. There was this strange warmth that started spreading from his chest to the tips of his fingers and toes. He could feel his hear rate elevate slightly as he raised his hand and brushed the streak of blood off her cheek.

Elle immediately flushed scarlet at this and Grey found himself quickly withdrawing his hand and looking away, face burning. He had no idea what the hell just happened there, and he didn't care. He would forget it and concentrate on the task at hand. Elle seemed to share similar thoughts since she was now stooping to the ground checking the corpses of the mangled werewolves. Composing himself, he cleared his throat and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Anything that can help us track down Liam," she replied evenly. "One of these mutts must have come into contact with him at least once. If we're lucky, we'll catch his scent and be able to track him down a whole lot easier."

"_If_ were lucky," he muttered as he started going through the remains. There wasn't much to work with anymore. The scent of blood was now everywhere, masking what little traces that Liam might have left behind in his carelessness. Or maybe he planned on the blood of his dead subordinates to hide his scent. Regardless, the carnage was making it impossible to find anything. But he kept trying anyway, for it kept his mind off of Elle. They searched each corpse carefully and quickly, for fear of being discovered. The last one was a girl no older than they were whose broken body lay in a heap. Grey felt a knot in his stomach as he looked at her face. He didn't care when he killed her a few hours ago, when she wore a mask of irrational fury. But now, it was blank and pitiful. He shook of his guilt and bent over to inspect the body. He could see the wounds he inflicted upon her flesh, even see where it started to heal before she died. He sniffed, trying to go past her blood, yet the very smell of it made his mouth water. His throat ached with thirst as he took in her scent. His lips quivered as they pulled back over his teeth. He knew that feeding on dead flesh was probably a bad idea, but he didn't care. Meat was meat after all. He bent closer and inhaled once more. He was hit with her dead smell along with…something else.

This new scent was enough to make him pause. It didn't smell like it belonged to her. Curious, his head followed it, moving from her neck, past her torso, and coming to a rest above her waist. He tilted his head, considering a theory. Was it possible? Without hesitation, he unbuttoned her pants and was about to unzip them when he felt something pull him back by the hair. Elle's voice hissed into his ear, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Um, looking for traces of Liam," he said in a what-else-do-you-think-I'm-doing tone.

"In her panties?" she replied shrilly. "Geez Grey! I know that you're a growing boy with needs and all, but this is no time for you to be entertaining that shit!"

Grey wrinkled his nose at her. "Ugh! How can you even say something like that?"

"Says the guy who was about to start sniffing at some dead girls private areas. Talk about weird fetishes. Never figured you to be into necrophilia," Elle snickered.

Grey rolled his eyes. "Oh, would you grow up? This has nothing to do with that at all."

"Alright Mr. I'm-Not-Horny-For-Dead-Chicks. What _is_ this all about then?"

"Look, while I was checking her, I caught an odd scent that came from down there. And it got me thinking, Liam seems like the kind of guy who would probably force a girl to have sex should he feel like it."

"What, so you're saying that you're smelling his…whatever down there?"

"Correct."

"Okay first of all, that's gross. Second, what makes you think it's him and not just some other guy she fucked? I mean, ratio wise, there's more guys than girls in this particular pack."

"Because," Grey said as he pried her fingers from his hair, "if we're right in assuming that these are Newly Changed werewolves, they won't have time for such activities. The bloodlust would be all they could think of, making them more dangerous to us when Liam sends them. So the only way that _this_ girl would have any semen in her—"

"Would be if Liam raped her," Elle finished with revulsion.

"Exactly. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get back to the task you set for us in the first place," he declared. He bent over to continue reaching for the zipper when he felt Elle pulling him by the shirt. Grey sighed, "What now?"

"Since your theory sounds very plausible, you won't mind if _I_ check the body, would you?"

"Aw come on! You really think that I'd get off on something like this given our situation? What do you take me for?"

"Well, since you're absolutely sure that you're not into necrophilia, I'm sure you won't mind if I acted as her gynecologist."

"You know what? Go ahead. I don't really give a damn. It's not gonna' make a difference anyway who checks the body so long as we get what we need," he snarled in irritation. He didn't realize that his fingers had turned into claws that dug into the fabric so that when he pulled away in frustration, he ripped through the pants and some of the dead girl's underwear. He could see Elle smirking with glee as she bent over to inspect the girl's nether regions as Grey turned his head away, grinding his teeth. He was rather offended that he would be accused of something so heinous. But he bit his tongue and let Elle sniff around while he quietly steamed about it.

"Ugh, damn!" she exclaimed as she rose to take a breath. "That is definitely Liam down there. I'd recognize that disgusting stench anywhere. God, this is gross!"

Grey heard the clinking sound of glass, but didn't look down to see what she was doing. When Elle stood back up, he saw that she pulled the girls pants back on, covering her shame. He turned his eyes to Elle and saw that she was holding a small bottle that now contained a thick, milky white fluid. "Aw, that's just nasty!"

"Shut the fuck up! We needed the sample so we can pick up his trail and this is the only way I knew how. And I don't want to hear another word about it. It's sickening enough I had to touch _it_; I don't need you to remind me I did it. This never happened got it?" she ended murderously.

"Alright, chill. So how do you plan on using that stuff to find him anyway?"

At this, she looked at the bottle with concern and replied, "I have no earthly idea."

"Then why get the stuff in the first place?"

"Because it seems like a good idea to have something of his," she snapped. "Who knows? Maybe we can find a way to use it to track him down. It can't hurt being prepared."

Grey wrinkled his nose. "Fine, but you're carrying it. I'm not touching that stuff, bottle or no bottle. Call me childish, but I still think that's gross."

"I won't call you childish, 'cause it _is_ gross," Elle replied distastefully. She then brought the bottle close to her face and sniffed. A sour expression formed as she exclaimed, "Ugh! Essence of Liam! This is straight up nasty!"

She handed the small bottle to Grey, who reluctantly followed suit. The musky smell the hit his acute sense of smell was so offensive that he had to fight the urge to retch. He shoved the bottle back into Elle's hands and backed away, trying to get used to the foul odor that that now filled his nostrils. At first, all he could think about was how much he felt sickened by Liam's stench. But after a while, his mind began focus less on his distaste for the scent and more on the fact that there was now a trail before him; a trail that was stronger than ever. Instinctively, he abandoned the scene of bloody carcasses in pursuit of the trail with Elle trailing closely behind. They wove in and out of the streets, using the cover of darkness to mask their presence to any wandering pedestrians. It never occurred to them to try and clean up the mess they left behind. There just wasn't ever any time when they were on the trail of their target and when authorities were nearby. So over the past six months, news of their massacres have become front page news as people wonder who could be going around killing groups of seemingly innocent teens and why. _Something for the media to chew on_, he thought bitterly as they sped along. The trail was becoming more potent as they progressed. He could already sense that his vision was being clouded in the red haze of rage as anticipation rose. It was one of many signs that he was still considered a young pup, for he gave into to the savage fury almost easily, even after a slaughter. The scent, now practically flooding his senses with its potency, caused his claws to come unsheathed and his teeth to elongate. He hadn't made the complete change to his Dalu form, but it was only a matter of time before his near-human form came out. Finally, they came to a door where the scent seemed to have originated.

Without breaking out of stride, Grey tore the door out of its hinges, splintering the wood as he threw it aside as Elle ducked in with him close behind. Once inside, they sniffed the air. He was _very_ close. The power of the scent told them that much. Grey could see that Elle, also close to shifting to her Dalu form, had taken her rifle out and was searching with wary eyes. It was the same rifle they had taken in that cabin from Canada. Reliable as it had in the fast few months, the ferocity in her eyes showed that she was more likely to use it a bludgeon than a firearm. Grey raised his head. The smell was all over the place. He must've been here for a long time, for it was hard to discern his exact location. He was everywhere. And the bloody remains of what he must've been eating didn't help make matters any easier. Grey would have torn the place apart had he not heard the creak of a floorboard. He gave Elle a look and she nodded. The sound came from the second landing. Without bothering with the stairs, he crouched down and leapt onto the second with a low growl and a light thump. Elle rushed on ahead into the dark hallway with her rifle raised. As they proceeded, they felt the presence of another creature grow stronger. When they reached the end of the hallway, they were met with a door. Behind it, they could sense that there was one warm body, all alone. Without even pausing to think, Grey kicked the door down and rushed in, claws and fangs ready to tear. But what met his eyes shocked him enough to snap him out of his blood haze and revert him back into his human form.

Instead of Liam, the monster he had sworn to kill, the room was occupied by a solitary old woman resting on an ancient-looking armchair that appeared to be made of…bones! But this wasn't as captivating as the owner that sat on it. Although she appeared frail, she exuded such a powerful aura that Grey couldn't help but step back a little. She raised her eyes towards him, and he saw that they were as white as the hairs that flowed from her head. She was blind. "Ah…Grey and Elle. It's about time you got here. I've been expecting you two," she said in a mystic voice.

Elle lowered her rifle, bewildered. "How do you know our names?"

"I know many things child," she answered as she shifted her gaze towards Elle as if she could see her. "I know that that gun you carry belongs to a logger up in Canada. I know that the boy killed two rangers on the night of his first Change. I know that you two have already violated the Oath in killing Chris and Deb. Indeed, if knowledge is power, then I am indeed a force to be reckoned with. Although, knowing too much is deadly as well. But that is beside the point. You came here in search of the one called Liam, correct?"

Grey snapped up at the sound of the name. He wanted to ask what she knew, but he was still a bit perplexed as to how she knew so much. Sensing his desire to know more, Elle asked, "What do you know of him?"

"As I said child, I know many things. I could tell you all there is to know about him, although that would be irrelevant. But I will tell you that he came here several days ago, seeking my help."

"Hang on. Liam came to you for help?" Elle asked incredulously. Clearly, Liam was the type of guy too proud to ask for help. It seems that he was now very desperate."

The old crone smiled. "He may not have been the sharpest fang in a dragon's mouth, but he certainly was not a total fool either. He came to me looking for ways to prolong his life."

"And what did you tell him?" Grey asked evenly.

"Simple. I told him to just keep doing what he was doing and he'll get what he deserves," she answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

There was a pause, and Grey found himself shaking. "You mean to tell me you actually encouraged him to keep sending newly Changed werewolves to their deaths?" he seethed.

"Exactly."

Elle gasped at the sound of this, but the old woman just stared at her as if wondering why the news was shocking. Grey, meanwhile, was shaking in fury. Not only did this woman help Liam fulfill his dark deeds, but she did so knowing that he was an evil monster who's own life was more important than anyone else's.

"You bitch!" he spat. "What right do you have to condemn innocent people to their deaths to help preserve the life of a jackass who doesn't even deserve to live? Who do you think you are?"

She turned to him in an instant, her blind eyes full of malice. Grey felt his joints lock up and his knees buckle. He could feel the very air in his lungs being sucked out. He couldn't move a muscle. Then he heard her voice in his mind shriek in a voice layered with a power and authority that forced both him and Elle facedown on the floor. _Don't use such an insolent tone with me, boy! Should I choose to, I could stop your hearts from beating and be done with you! Who am I you ask? You are not yet worthy to even hear my name. All you need to know is that although you may be an immortal, I wield more than enough power to end your life a thousand times over! To many, I am the Blind Witch. But to you, because of your impudence, I am your executioner. _Grey and Elle struggled to gasp for air, but they knew that she wouldn't allow it. He now knew how foolish he was to anger such a powerful entity. His vision started to get hazy as black spots appeared from lack of oxygen. He kept struggling, knowing that he was using up what little air he had left. But how could he not? He couldn't die there, not yet. Mustering whatever strength he had left, he forced himself off the floor and onto one knee. He sensed her surprise, but her hold on him didn't loosen. Rather, it got tighter as he tried to pull out his inner strength. Glaring at her with blazing eyes, he snarled, "I don't give a fuck how much power you have or that you could kill me a thousand times! BUT I AM NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!

Instantly, he felt her hold on him slip away and he was able to move once more. Elle picked herself up off the floor, looking shaken. After taking a few breaths to calm himself down he said, "Sorry. I get angry a lot easier these days. I didn't mean to yell."

Her tone softened as she answered, "It's quite alright child. I know you didn't mean it. Actually, I'm quite impressed you manage to break free out of my hold. It's clear that you are meant for great things in the land of the living. And for you information, I did not help that man do anything. In a sense, you could say that I did nothing at all, since that is what he would have done anyway."

"But what about getting what he deserves?" Elle asked.

At this, the old woman smiled. "When I said that, he believe that he deserved to live. What about you two? What fate do you think this man deserves?"

"To die!" Grey and Elle replied in unison. They caught each other's eye then looked away, embarrassed. If the Blind Witch noticed, she didn't show it. With a wave of her hand, two thin boxes flew off the shelf and into her waiting palms.

"As you are, you cannot hope to defeat Liam. Sure, you may have destroyed pack after pack he sends after you, but they were just as clueless as you are. He has knowledge about your race that he can use to his advantage. Now, I'm not one for meddling in the affairs of others, but I _see_ that you two could at least use a nudge in the right direction. So I offer you these gifts in hopes that you succeed in your endeavors."

Although similar in shape, the two boxes she presented looked totally different from each other. The one Elle received had a black, metallic look about it that gleamed in the light with gilded corners and a rather sophisticated lock system that she was now toying with. The box Grey received, on the other hand, was made of a polished black wood covered with strange, silver marking and insignias. And although barely noticeable, he could see that there were stains all over it that looked suspiciously like blood. On the front protruded an ornate and antique looking key from the keyhole. Grey twisted it and it squealed in protest, as if it had been left in there for a long time. The lock clicked and he opened the lid to find a pair of bizarre looking instruments.

Inside where two long blades with curved tips, about two feet in length. The inner edges of the blades where it curved inward were tinted black while the outer edges silver. The ends of each blade appeared to be attached to what looked like manacles by hinges and just a few inches from each hinge was a handle fixed right onto the blade. He ran a finger over the weapon's surface and felt a spark of excitement surge through him, as well as the feeling of reuniting with a long lost friend. Out of the corner of his eye, he turned to see that Elle had the same reaction, except that her box contained a rifle with a stainless steel finish and two silver handguns.

"How can we ever repay you?" she asked in awe as she lifted one of the handguns out of the box.

The witch looked amused. "Repay me? My dear child, there is no need to pay for what is truly yours?"

"Ours? How can these things be ours?" Grey asked, eyes still glued to his box.

"As I said, I was expecting you," she answered simply. "I won't go into detail, other than I've made special arrangements to procure these specific items for your usage. After all this is the modern age, and you will need the proper tools to survive in it. For you Elle, I have provided a Marlin Model 1894SS rifle and a pair of .50 caliber Desert Eagles. The rifle should serve you well at long distances and the handguns have an effective range of 200 meters. Both are deadly at close range. You will find enough ammunition to last you a while at the bottom of your box along with something else I'm sure you two are going to need now that you're carrying weapons."

Elle started rummaging through the contents of her box while Grey was still fingering the blades. _His_ blades. He liked the sound of how he now owned the malicious-looking weapons. He lifted one out of the box and found it to be surprisingly light. Slowly spinning it around to look at various angles, he was reminded of the weapon he had once seen in the video game Bloodrayne. But that was just a game. The object he held in his hands was real. Without even pausing to think, he closed the manacle onto his right forearm and swung the blade into place while the handle slid right into his palm. It fit perfectly. He did the same to the other and marveled how the blade fluidly glides through the air on its hinge as he felt the handle in his grip. Both felt so light that he could hardly tell that they were there. No, that wasn't right. Actually, they didn't feel like separate tools at all. To him, they felt like they were a simple extension of his own body, a natural weapon designed just for him. He slashed at the air once and was please by how easily it cut through it. Releasing his grip, he swung them back with a click. They were now parallel with his arms, with the tips going a little past his shoulders and curving outward.

"I see you've taken to your weapon like a fish to water," the witch said amused.

"It just feels natural," he said with a grin.

"Good, good. In case you're curious, it has been forged with a metal that was designed to further enhance your…abilities. I won't say more than that. You'll have to learn the rest for yourself."

"Thank you so much," Elle said as she slipped the rifle into a holster strapped across her back. Grey could see that the other guns were nestled comfortably in holsters fixed in a tilted angle just below the rifle at her waist. "I don't suppose you can tell us which way Liam went."

"Certainly. He fled out that window," she pointed, "hours ago after he sent his pack out to kill you."

Grey looked from the window to the old crone. "Will we ever see you again, witch?"

The blind woman met his gaze and she smiled. "If luck favors you, we may cross paths once more. For now, I offer you these words of wisdom. Trust in the elements, your visions, and each other. May the fates smile upon you."

"Bye," they both whispered as they slipped through the window and fell into a crouch. Sure enough, there was Liam's scent waiting for them. Since it was only hours old, it was still fresh and could be easily followed. Grey looked to Elle and flashed her a grin. She returned it with a brilliant smile of her own.

"I can't wait to tear the bastard's head off."

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "Not before I put a bullet in his skull."

"First come first serve?"

"You know it."

With the sound of their laughter, they disappeared into the morning mist, one step closer to meeting out their vengeance.


	8. The Raven

_Chapter 8_

"You lost it, didn't you?" Grey hollered towards the figure up ahead.

"No," Elle replied. "_I _lost nothing. _You_ were the one leading. So in technicality, _you_ lost the trail."

Grey swatted a branch. "Yeah? Well three nights ago, you started going on about how a dream told you we should go this way. And now look where we are!"

"Only because I'm doing exactly what the witch said."

"Which was?"

"Trust in my visions or something like that."

"Fat help they have been," he grumbled.

"Well I don't see you doing anything to help us get out of this."

"That's because you're leading. Again!"

For the next hour, they bickered back and forth, making no progress in recovering Liam's trail, which all but vanished after a few days. They had been pretty much wandering aimlessly I hopes of picking up the faintest trace of him with no luck whatsoever. But as they trekked deeper and deeper into the forest, Grey couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed. There was no scent, but there was something in the air that made the hairs on his neck prickle that he didn't like. He wasn't sure if Elle had noticed, but he acted as if there was nothing so as to not cause alarm. If they were being stalked, he didn't want the creature to know that he was aware of its presence.

The forest itself was starting to take a turn for the worst. It looked like something straight out of a storybook. There was a low fog that hung in the air, the trees were dead and bare, and there was a silence that made every footstep echo into the night. And when he strained his ears, Grey thought he could detect the sounds of faint footfalls somewhere in the dark. He had a fairly good idea from which direction the sound was coming from and would have turned and attacked with blinding speed had he not noticed that they had another follower.

For a while now, a fairly large black bird had been moving from branch to branch, making sure they were in its sight. Now that he thought about it, the bird had been following them for over a day now, making no sound save for the flap of its wings and the occasional squawk. Watching it now gave him both a sense of security and a bad feeling, although he couldn't explain either.

_Run._

He stopped walking. Just then, a voice sounded in his mind. No, not in his mind, but on the wind. There was a whisper that wove through the air, barely audible except to him. Sensing his tension, Elle paused as well. Instinctively, he sniffed the air. At first, he detected nothing. But then, he caught wind of something very faint. The smell irritated his nose at first, then it started to smolder. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was very familiar. It was only when he heard the sound of a metallic click that he realized it was…silver.

"Run!" he bellowed as he raced past Elle. The wood on the tree behind them exploded as a sound of a gunshot ripped through the silence. Several more bullets whizzed past them, hitting trees, logs, and stone.

"What the hell is going on?" Elle screamed as she caught up with him.

Before he could answer, he heard a throaty shriek from the sky. They looked up to find the black bird soaring above them. Its eyes met his for a second and it turned. Without even saying a word, Grey started to follow it path, ignoring any protest Elle made.

"Where the fuck are you running to now?"

"We're following the bird!"

"Why?" she asked irritated.

"Cuz the old crone said trust the elements too, right? Well, nature is another word for the elements and as far as I know, birds count as nature."

"But we don't even know where we're going."

"It could be to safety," he reasoned. The moment he said that, he found himself stopping at the edge of a deep chasm. There was no way to the other side, save for the rope bridge that was just rope now, and there was nothing but a raging river several hundred feet bellow. The black bird was perched on a post where the ropes where tied and was looking at him inquisitively.

"Oh great. Now what genius? We're trapped now. What do you suppose we do now smart guy?" Elle asked sarcastically.

Grey was about to snap back when he saw that the bird leapt from its perch and dove towards the river. This got him thinking. The only things that would use firearms would have to be humans and as adept as they are, they did have limitations. So this thought gave him an idea.

"Jump," he answered.

She looked at him incredulously. "Where? Into that?" she pointed off the edge. "Are you insane? That has got to be the stupidest idea you've ever had!"

"Look, whatever is following us has got to be human. There's no way they'd follow us down there."

"That's because there'd be nothing left _to_ follow, brainiac. A drop from this height would destroy a normal human being!"

"But we're _not_ normal human beings, are we?" he said with a smile. At that point, they yelling and saw the ground explode a few feet away as a bullet hit it. Grey turned, "That's our cue."

Elle looked over the edge. "If we survive this, remind me to kill you afterwards," she spat.

Grey took her hand and smiled. "I promise."

He could see her fluster in the moonlight, and the sight made him chuckle. Without another word, they both stepped off the edge and fell.

It was a strange experience, falling that is. Grey felt like he was almost flying as he felt the wind pushing against his weight. He spun around a few times, ran along the cliff wall, and kicked of it. It was the most fun he'd had in months.

"When you're done playing Bird Boy, maybe you'd like to fill me in how we're supposed to survive the fall," Elle said lazily. Grey looked to find that she was lying on her back with her hand on the back of her head. It was then that Grey realized that the river was closing in, fast. He knew that they were more resilient than humans, but how much? Could they live through such an impact? Would they be set back too much while they healed? All these questions spun in his head when he heard another whisper.

_Trust in the elements._

He looked around and saw that the black bird was diving right next to him. A closer look revealed the bird to be a raven, but there were a few things that were odd about it. For one, it's head looked like a cross between a raven and a hawk, it's feet ended in cruel claws, and it's eyes were milky white, almost as if it was…blind. It looked at him and shrieked.

_Trust in the elements._

Before he could say a work, it opened its wings and he whizzed past it as the wind carried it upwards. His mind was racing now. Trust in the elements. What did that even mean? Were the elements supposed to save them? How was that supposed to work? All these questions bounced around the confines of his mind, making his eyes glow lupine yellow. Without actually thinking about it, he waved his hand and he felt a gust of wind push against him. He looked at his hand, now clawed, and wondered. He waved his arm with more force, and a stronger gust of wind blew. Immediately, he started clawing at the air in circular motions, causing the wind to spiral around them. The stronger the motions, the stronger the wind, and the more they slowed down.

"What's happening?" Elle screamed. When she saw what he was doing, her eyes widened in bewilderment. "How the fuck are you doing that?"

"Don't know, don't care," he said quickly without really looking at her. "We'll wonder about that _after_ we get down."

As he waved his arms, he could feel the small whirlwind getting stronger. Yet at the same time, he felt himself getting weaker. He couldn't keep this up much longer. The ground was getting closer, but they were still going too fast. He knew that if they were going to get out of this in one piece that he was going to have to give it everything he had. So he closed his eyes and screwed up whatever strength he had left and focused it on strengthening the winds that were saving them. At once he could feel his energy pouring out of his body as they were buffeted by their little tornado. They were only about fifty feet up now. But without warning, he felt the last of his strength leave him. The winds stopped and they plummeted. He felt himself losing consciousness, his vision was starting to go black, and then he felt something grip his hand. He turned to see Elle giving him a faint smile. He returned it and with whatever strength he had left, he pulled her close to him and clutched her to his chest just before his back hit the water.

It felt like his back had split open and all the air had been pushed out of his lungs. His back was aflame, but he couldn't scream. He could faintly see the final bubbles of air racing past his eyes. His hammering hear was starting to slow down, and his limbs were limp. He had expended too much energy. He didn't even have enough to kick himself to the surface. This couldn't be the end. He still had to kill Liam. But even this resolve didn't give him any strength. Though the spirit was willing, the body just couldn't go anymore.

Something brushed against his leg. Grey was so out of it that he couldn't even tell what it was. It felt so small and weak that he was surprised that he could even feel it at all. But it wouldn't leave him alone. Whatever it was, it slowly started forcing him upward. He looked towards the surface and saw a light. Enamored, he reached for it weakly. Something clasped onto his wrist. Too tired to be surprised, he gripped back and felt himself being pulled towards the surface. He thought he heard the voice of an angel calling him, but before he could make out anything else, he blacked out.

***

There was a strange taste in his mouth. No, not strange. It was kind of sweet. Like honey. He liked it. The only strange thing was that it kept leaving and coming back. It would be there for a few seconds, then when it left is was followed by an aching in his chest, then it would come back. And there was something else he could taste. It was almost like a feeling. A feeling that he sensed to be similar to…panic.

Life was gradually flowing back into his body. His lungs were being filled with air and his heart was beating furiously, but what could be causing all of this? His eyes fluttered and as his vision started to clear, he could see the Elle was kneeling over him.

"Come on, damn it!" she swore while doing chest compressions. She pinched his nose, tilted his chin, and blew into his mouth. Back came the sweet taste of honey. Her voice was frantic and there were tears in her eyes. "Don't you dare die. You made a promise to me. You said you wouldn't leave me alone. So don't! Please! I can't do this by myself!"

Her pleas reached him and he remembered the promise he made. At the time he was speaking to her when she was most vulnerable. So when he made that promise, he intended to keep it. And it was true, he couldn't leave her alone. The thought alone was enough to rouse him awake. But instead of getting up and letting her know he was okay, he waited until she bent over to give him another breath. The moment her lips touched his, he stuck his tongue out and ran its entire length across her lips.

He could tell she was surprised, then she bit his tongue and punched him in the gut. "Pig."

"What?" he wheezed.

"That was disgusting! What the hell is the matter with you?"

"It was a joke, relax Elle."

"It was hardly the time for a joke. I was worried about you."

Grey raised an eyebrow. "You were worried about me?"

"N-no!" she sputtered. "I-I was just thinking that if you died, I couldn't kill Liam on my own, that's all."

"Uh-huh."

"Anyway, never mind that. What was up with that wind? I mean, I'm grateful that it slowed us down, but it was still weird."

Grey gave it some thought. "I have no idea. I mean, I _think_ it might have been caused by me, but I'm not entirely sure. I just remember something surging through my body and the winds came. But the stronger the winds, the weaker I got. Not sure exactly how to explain it."

"Hmm. Maybe it's like with my dreams. I know they're related somehow. We just need to find someone who can tell us."

"That's great and all, but we're already having problems looking for one person, Liam. Won't looking for someone else make things more difficult?"

"Not if it'll help us kill him in the long run. But you're right, where would we even start looking for someone to help us?"

As if to answer her question, Grey felt something perch on his shoulder. He looked to see it was the hawk-faced raven. It was preening its feathers and when Grey tried to poke it, it snapped at his finger.

"What's with the bird Captain Ahab?" Elle snorted with sarcasm. In response, the raven let out a piercing screech and flew of Grey's shoulder, cutting him in the process since its talons were still gripping him tightly. He hissed in irritation, but then saw that it was now just hovering a few feet away, as if it was waiting for them.

"I think it wants us to follow it," he told Elle.

"And why should we?"

"Because it got us away from whatever was chasing us earlier, that's why."

"Yeah, by leading us to the edge of a cliff!" she exclaimed. "Lord knows where it could be leading us this time!"

"It's not like we've got anything better to do," he pointed out. Elle just shrugged and muttered something, so he started to walk when he felt her hand grab his arm. He turned to see her looking at a piece of paper in her other hand. "What's up?"

"I think that if we're gonna' be following it, we should at least do it on all fours."

"Why?"

"For discretion," she sighed with exasperation. "To anyone else, two people wandering around the middle of nowhere fully armed just isn't normal. At least wolves look somewhat natural, even if there are only two."

"That makes sense, but there's just one problem with that. I mean, we can ditch the clothes and just fine new ones, but these," he raised up the blades strapped to his arms, "how are we supposed to travel with these on?"

Elle waved the piece of paper. "That's where this thing comes in. Here, hold out one of those overgrown knives."

Grey swung out the blade on his left and Elle ran her left index finger along its edge. "Now, do as I do," she commanded as she laid out her firearms in front of her. On each on and on her clothes, she started writing symbols with her bleeding finger, muttering something as she did so. Not entirely convince, Grey cut his fingers anyway and followed suit, drawing the same runes on his blades while mirroring her chant. For several minutes this continued, and he wasn't sure if it was the work of magic or just the trick of moonlight, but the bloody runes appeared to be glowing. When they finally stopped, the symbols started glowing crimson red for a few seconds, then seemed to sink right into the surface of whatever they were written on. Elle put her guns back on and said triumphantly, "Alright, it's done."

"What's done?" Grey asked, looking confused. "What did that do exactly?"

"This," Elle grinned as she fell to the ground and started morphing. Only this time, instead of being torn or just falling off, the clothes she was wearing were morphing with her. The clothes seem to be melting onto her body as the texture of fur started sprouting. Even the firearms were doing the same thing until all that was left in front of him was a dark brown wolf with green eyes. Grey, curious, started phasing as well, being sure to keep an eye on the weapons strapped to his arms.

It was so strange. He had turned into a wolf many times before, but had never really paid attention to anything while it was happening. Now, he could see that his blades appeared to be sinking into his skin while fur started growing. He could sort of feel his clothes getting tighter, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Rather, it only took a few more seconds before he couldn't feel them at all. By the time it was all finished, he was staring in wonder.

_You can marvel at how cool this is later. Right now, bird-brain over there seems agitated._

He looked up and found that the raven did indeed look rather impatient. Not wanting to make it wait, he trotted over to the hovering avian to let it know that they were ready. As soon as he did so, the raven turned tailed and glided through the trees. Not wanting to lose it, the two wolves bolted after it

_This bird better not be leading us to our deaths._ Elle growled.

_If it does, you have permission to tear it apart. By the way, where did you learn that trick with the blood and stuff?_

_From the witch. It was with the guns she gave me. She did say that we would need it now that we'll be carrying stuff around. I guess this means that we won't have to keep looking for clothes when we go wolf._

_True, not that you weren't bad to look at to be honest._

Grey could feel a flash of something from her that he guessed could be the equivalent of blushing in her human form. _Pervert! Were you checking me out when I shift back?_

_Of course not. But we have been traveling for a while now, and one does tend to notice things._

_We're on a mission to kill a man, and you actually have time to notice my naked body?!_

_Well, like you're one to talk. Are you saying that you've never looked at me while we were searching for clothes? Not once?_

_Um…well…that's not the point! Just don't stare._

_I never said I did. You assumed I did._

_Ugh! You're impossible._

Grey chuckled as he pulled on ahead of her, closing in on their feathered friend. He wasn't sure where it was leading them, but he was sure that wherever it was, it couldn't be that bad. He wasn't even paying attention to where they were going. At their speed, the surrounding forest just looked like a blur. His eyes were fixed on the raven, who, oddly enough, didn't even carry a scent. Eventually, it came to a rest on a wooden post that stood next to the mouth of an enormous cavern. Assuming they were supposed to enter, Grey started walking in without hesitation. He was only stopped when he felt Elle pull him back by the tail with her teeth.

_I have a bad feeling about this Grey._

_Relax, what could happen?_

He led her into the dark, using his sense of smell to guide him rather than his sharp eyes. They were only a few feet in when he realized that something wasn't right. There was no smell in the cavern at all. Well, there was one, but it was something that frightened him. Every inch of the cavern walls was covered with the stench of death.

_Okay, bad idea Elle. We should go._ He turned towards the entrance as the ground started to shake. Immediately, the mouth of the cave was sealed shut but falling rocks. But even worse was that he could feel that they were not alone in the dark.

_Grey, what the hell is going on?_

It was then that they were answered with a disembodied voice so creepy that it made the hairs on their spine stand on end.

"Who dares enter my domain?"


	9. Trial by Earth

_Trial by Earth_

There was no sense in trying to zero in where the voice was coming from. It was everywhere, yet at the same time it was nowhere. Even his sense of smell was of no use to him. All he could smell was earth and death, which was essentially everywhere. Yet there was an aura there that wasn't really evil, but felt old and powerful. This was not comforting in the slightest.

_I don't like where this going._ Elle whimpered. _It doesn't look good._

_Come on._ Grey yipped as he started trotting deeper into the cave. _Whatever it is, we'll deal with it._

_But what if it's not something we can deal with?_ Elle asked as she loped behind.

_We'll burn that bridge when we get to it._

For a while, nothing happened as they walked in the dark. Then, the whispers started. At first they were barely audible warnings to turn back. But as they delved deeper into the cave, it became hissed threats of their doom and arrogance. That last part didn't really make sense to Grey, but then again, hearing voices in the dark didn't make much sense to begin with.

With their sense of smell rendered useless, their sharp eyes led them through the darkness. He could see the faint outlines of the surrounding walls and rocks. But unless his eyes were deceiving him, the very outlines that he was seeing were moving. He shook his head, thinking it must be fatigue playing tricks on his mind.

_Hey, is it me or is passageway getting narrower?_

Grey looked around and sure enough the walls seemed to be closing in. He was never claustrophobic, but the enclosing walls were very unsettling. It gave them less room to maneuver if they needed to fight whatever was living in the dank cave. Something made the hairs on his back prickle and he paused. The shifting shadows continued with increased intensity. He was about to inspect those movements when he heard a distressed yelp.

_Grey!_

He turned and found his brown furred companion slowly sinking into the earth. To be exact, part of the dirt wall near the floor had extended, swallowed her hind leg, and was creeping towards the rest of her while pulling her in. Elle struggled, but like quicksand, it only seemed to speed up its progression. Half of her was already gone, and the other half that was still visible could no longer retain its lupine shape. Forelegs lengthened into arms, fur, snout, and ears shrank back, hair grew from the scalp, and a shirt became visible as it clung to her breast. Only her eyes remained the same shade of green as a low whine escaped her lips as she reached out with growing fingers where paws were.

Almost instantly, Grey found himself sailing through the air towards her. His lips were pulled back over his teeth in a snarl while his body shifted from wolf to man in mere moments. He reached for her outstretched right hand and grasped her arm, feeling her do the same to his. Grey pulled with all his strength, yet he could only feel her sinking deeper and deeper into the wall of earth. Frustration welled up in his chest, causing him to lock the swinging blade on his left arm into position and stabbing it into the wall, letting his supernatural energy surge through the weapon as he did so.

There was an earsplitting shriek as the soil surrounding Elle exploding, sending her barreling into his chest and throwing them both against a nearby boulder. Grey shakily got to his feet while still cradling Elle's quivering frame. "Relax, okay? You're not going anywhere, so get a hold of yourself."

She merely nodded, pulled herself free from his embrace, and pulled the rifle from her back holster. All trace of weakness was gone, replaced by a fierce determination that could be seen in her eyes. Grey swung the right blade into place and cautiously proceeded deeper into the cave with Elle at his side.

No movement or sound was dismissed as nothing. The situation made them more aware than they usually were, heightening the senses to detect what they would have otherwise missed. They could both see and hear the very ground they were walking on moving and shifting ever so slightly. It was as if it was waiting for them to make a mistake.

"Can you feel it?" Grey whispered, not even looking at her.

"Mhm. There's something in here, and it doesn't feel like it's…alive. At least, not like you and me. There's life in it no doubt, but it's hard to explain."

"Shall I clarify then, mongrel?"

Grey whirled around with his ears pricked, trying to locate where the voice was coming from. He couldn't pinpoint it, since it sounded like it was coming from everywhere. It made no sense. But just as he was about to give up, his sharp eyes were able to make out the outline of a hulking figure several yards in front of them. It seemed to have realized that it had been spotted for it started retreating. Grey broke into a run. "There!"

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as his feet pounded against the dirt. He was gaining on it. Whatever it was, it appeared to be big and sluggish. The tunnel started to widen, but it didn't matter. In a few moments, Grey would soon be upon his target. From behind, he could hear Elle's light footsteps shadowing his, as well as the sound of metal clicking as she readied her gun. He could feel his eyes turning yellow and the mystical power coursing through his body as he got closer. The creature was slowing down. Without giving it time to react, he swung the right blade into place and stabbed it in the back. With a twist of his wrist, he pulled a chunk out of its torso as he sped past it. Gunshots echoed as Elle blew off bits of its body. The thing soon collapsed from their assault. They had it.

Or so they thought.

Grey walked over to the corpse to examine what had been screwing with them and stopped. What he thought to be a hulking behemoth turned out to be nothing more than a humanoid shape composed of dirt that now lay lifeless on the ground. Grey couldn't understand how it had been moving in the first place, much less running. He spent a few more moments inspecting the rubble before sighing, "I think whatever it was is gone."

"Don't count on it."

Grey just had enough time to vault out of the way before a stalactite impaled the spot he was just standing on. At the same time, he heard the sound of gunshots echoing thundering throughout the cavern. His eyes widened in horror when he saw that not only had the fallen earth monster risen again, but two more of the behemoths were clawing their way out of the ground. Grey smashed the two into bits with the blades while Elle fired shot after shot at the one reforming. He thought that was the end of it, but he was wrong. The bits and pieces were coming to life on their own, forming smaller figures that were more nimble and agile. He couldn't get to them all before they landed a few hits on him. The more he destroyed, the more that sprang out of the ground. Eventually, he found himself swamped by dozens of the little dirt men. He leapt here and there, but they clung onto his clothes, slowing him down. Eventually, enough had attached themselves onto him that he couldn't move. They then started conglomerating into a mound that slowly began sucking him inward. As much as he struggled, Grey could not break free of the earth's grip. It was above his waist now, and still creeping upwards. He hacked and slashed at it, but its progress could not be halted. Eventually, his blades got caught in the muck, rendering his arms immobile. He could feel the earth crawling up his arms, spilling over his chest.

"Having trouble, are we?" the disembodied voice chuckled.

Grey tilted his head upward in the direction of the voice to see who was taunting him in his final moments. At first, he saw nothing but the rocky ceiling above them. But upon closer inspection, he detected a circular area that was moving to expose a shimmering entity. It resembled the rocky golems he had been fighting earlier on a smaller scale and was pulsating with so much power that even Grey could feel it pressing down on him. This being gave off an aura that Grey recognized to be similar to his own. The only difference being was that it was more pure and refined.

"Inferior mongrels! You think that the world belongs to you, that you are welcome to come and go as you please wherever you wish? Let this be a lesson for you: not all spirits will be subject to your will."

"What the hell is it talking about?" Elle screamed. She was in the same predicament as he was, with the earth already up to her neck. Seeing her like that caused Grey to struggle against the encroaching earth, but to no avail.

"Foolish one. It is futile to resist. Whatever it was you were seeking that led you here will be your undoing. Cease your struggles and let my embrace be your tomb."

What had Grey been searching for that led them into this desolate place? His mind raced and blood pounded in his ears as all but his face was covered. He could not remember what it was. It was only when he was completely covered that a single word rang through the confines of his mind.

_Liam._

At the sound of the word, he could feel the fire flowing in his veins, boiling his very blood. He would not die here. Not yet. Not before the miserable wretch breathed his last by his hand. Grey could hear the roar of the animal inside screaming to be set free.

And with a deviant smile and glowing yellow eyes, Grey let it consume him.

The heat that now flooded his body made it grow, extending the length of his limbs, adding more muscle to bone, as well as altering his entire anatomy. As this was happening, he could feel something being siphoned out of the earth into him. It felt like the energy the glowing being was exuding. Using that, along with sheer strength, he clawed his way out of his would-be tomb and exploded out of the ground towards his target with claws outstretched. It must have been a sight to behold for either Elle or the rocky figure to see a wolfman nearly ten feet tall with black fur and its lips pulled back in a triumphant snarl. Grey didn't even feel whatever efforts the being used to keep him at bay as he raked his claws across its body to gain a firm grip and sank his teeth into what he supposed would be its neck.

And with it still in his jaws, he fell back to the ground in a crouch, leaving a small crater where he landed. He threw the body aside and howled triumphantly. His ears were pounding and his eyes widened. He relished the feeling of killing, and he yearned to do so again. But before he could entertain the notion further, a voice came from the broken body.

"You have bested me, in my own home. No longer will I question your superiority over us. I submit to you." And with that, the body crumbled to glowing dust that circled Grey's own. He felt the same power he took from the earth flowing into him, clearing his mind. He could feel himself shrinking back to his normal size and stature, and the desire for blood disappeared as well, leaving behind fatigue. Yet, tired as he was, noticed a mound of earth that lay undisturbed. Panicked, he remembered his companion and scrambled over to dig her out. He found a hand, grasped it, and pulled with whatever energy he had left. A very disheveled Elle came out into his arms, coughing.

"What happened? The last thing I remember before I was covered up completely was something black coming out of the ground," she said, slightly disoriented.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, I need to sleep. Freaking exhausted," Grey mumbled as he lay down, pulling her with him.

"Fine by me," Elle replied. "This seems ideal enough. You sure it's safe now?"

Grey closed his eyes and simply nodded, unknowingly tightening his embrace on her as his thoughts strayed into dreams.


	10. The Unforeseen Ally

_The Unforeseen Ally_

Not once did the voices ever cease. They came and went throughout his dreams. Some had faces, while others had none. He could hear the screaming of someone as it mingled with the laughter of another. Tormented and mocked, Grey whirled around to find who it was. He came face to face with Liam, who sneered and taunted him, saying that Grey would never lay his claws on him. At the same time, a second Liam appeared, showing his fear and anxiety that his life would soon end. These dissolved into the nothingness and Grey felt a presence that made his hair stand on end. Out of the void emerged an enormous wolf with fur as black as night. Maybe it's because it was just a dream, but she appeared a lot larger than she should have, even by werewolf standards. The air around her rippled slightly with the power she exuded, and even her voice shook his surroundings as it reverberated throughout his consciousness.

_I am Hikaon. Remember my name…find me…_

Grey's eyes snapped open as the voice faded away. He rose to sitting position and placed a hand on his head. Was that just a dream, or did he really have a vision? He was more inclined towards the latter. Ever since he became what he was, nothing seemed too farfetched. Something was weighing down his arm, and he looked to find the blade still clamped onto it. He sighed. He's going to have to find a way to hide them from the public's eye, for it wasn't really being discreet to have two blades strapped to one's forearms. And he can't exactly place them on his back either, for they could still be seen. But for the time being, it wasn't an issue. They haven't had any human interaction since killing that vampire in that town in Canada. The thought still worries him, but he put it out of his mind.

Elle wasn't there when he woke up, but he picked up her scent leading towards the tunnel. Picking himself up, he sauntered towards the entrance and found himself at the cave's mouth after a few minutes. Surprisingly, sunlight was pouring in from an opening small enough to fit an average person. Using his right arm blade to widen it, he crawled out into the brilliance.

Even as the light temporarily blinded him, the first thing that his eyes noticed was Elle just standing there, basking in the sun's rays. Her brown hair cascaded past her shoulders and along with her skin, appeared to be glowing under the light. Grey was quite taken aback seeing her like this, as if for the first time. It was hard to believe that it had been about a year since they set out together. To him, it felt lot longer. She was reserved in the beginning, but gradually came out of her shell to the point where she was comfortable enough not to care how she acted around him. Sure they may have butted heads more often than they should have due to their tempers, but they've managed to grow fond of each other despite that. Truly, he couldn't even imagine continuing his journey without her, and he had a feeling that she felt the same.

Realizing that she wasn't alone, she turned her emerald eyes to face him. "What?"

"Nothing," Grey shook his head. "Just felt like getting out in the sun. How long was I out for?"

"Couple of hours. Whatever it was you did, it took a lot out of you."

"Yeah. I suppose it did.

"Do you remember?"

Grey closed his eyes and recalled what happened just hours ago. Never before had he felt so…powerful. It felt good, but at the same time it scared him. He thought of nothing else but killing and it was instinctive. He barely had any control of himself. It was just too much. The thought made him shudder.

"Not really. It was kind of a blur."

She looked at him for a few seconds, and for a while, Grey thought she was going to call him out on his lie. But she just shrugged, "Just make sure you don't pass out like that again. It wouldn't do us any good when you're like that and we get attacked."

"I suppose not," he answered. He laid himself down next to her and stretched. "So, any idea what we're supposed to do now?"

The flutter of wings seemed to answer his question, and Grey looked up to find the hawkish raven perched on a nearby tree. It looked at them for a few moments then started preening its feathers. Before Grey could react, Elle was already throwing whatever she could reach at it.

"You miserable little cretin! You almost got us killed! What was the point of sending us in there, huh?"

The raven squawked as it jumped out of the way of the projectiles and looked at Grey knowingly with its milky white eyes. Its piercing gaze made him shudder, for it was looking straight at him as if it _could_ see him, regardless of its apparent lack of sight.

"I don't think it sent us there to kill us. Maybe we were supposed to gain something from this."

"Like what? What the fuck could we have possibly learned from that ordeal other than rocks can now move themselves to crush people?"

"I don't know!" Grey snapped. "Maybe a hint as to what we are. Maybe that we can hold our own against the other freaks of this world and survive. Shouldn't the fact that we lived through that mean something?"

"Yeah, but we're still lost with no idea what to do. We don't even have a trail to track anymore. And I am NOT sniffing Liam's jank again," Elle shuddered.

The raven started hopping from branch to branch away from them, stopping periodically and looking back as if beckoning to follow. Grey took notice and said, "We could just follow the bird again."

"And look how that turned out. When we followed it the first time, it led us off a cliff and into Rock-dude. Who knows what shit it'll get us into if we follow it again."

"Whatever," he sighed. "All I'm saying is that it seems to know something. And besides, it beats just sitting here bitching about it. And I don't mean just you," he interjected as she opened her mouth in protest. "I meant the both of us. Yelling at each other will get us nowhere."

Elle holstered her guns and grumbled, "Fine. But if that stupid thing nearly gets us killed again, it's gonna have more holes in it than Swiss cheese."

Grey suppressed a smile as he folded the blades into resting position. For now, he'll have to deal with avoiding large crowds for a while to avoid drawing attention with his weapons. "Alright bird-brain. Where're we headed?"

The white-eyed raven tilted its head in understanding and after preening its feathers one more time, it hopped off the branch and glided away. In response, Grey dashed after it with Elle not far behind him. Almost reflexively, he found himself running on all fours as his body morphed into its lupine form. The lack of the blades on his forearms certainly made it easier to move. In addition, the added speed allowed him to keep up with the blind bird as it wove through the dead branches. Travelling under the light of the sun left him feeling somewhat exposed. After being a werewolf for so many moons, he had gotten used with running under the cover of darkness.

_Nervous?_ Elle asked

_You could say that. We tend to avoid running in broad daylight when we could avoid it. Plus, I have no idea where we're headed now. At least last time, we knew what we were looking for. Now, it could be anything. I know what I said earlier, but I don't like being blind._

_Yet you're letting the clearly blind bird be our guide._

_I guess you got me there. Maybe we should just—MOVE!_

Without another word, Grey and Elle jumped in opposite directions and seconds after doing so, a knife buried itself into the ground where his paw had been. He whirled about, sniffing the air and growling as he did so. Their assailant was near, but the scent as hard to place. It seemed to be everywhere and at the same time nowhere.

_Stick close Elle._

_You don't have to tell me twice._ She replied as she backed up so their flanks were touching. _Just our luck, right? First the rock monster, now this. That bird is so Swiss-cheesed._

Grey would have smirked had he not been preoccupied with searching surroundings. He could hear something as it jumped from tree to tree, shadow to shadow. It was a nothing more than a blur, but he continued to watch, muscles tensed to retaliate. A flash from the corner of his eye caused him to snap at the flying projectile as it zoomed in his direction. He flung the knife away, snarling at the shadow that had thrown it.

"Wow, you certainly are a different one," a voice rang in the darkness. "A lot more difficult to put down than other animals, but I enjoy the challenge.

_That's right, keep talking you cocky bitch. Tell me exactly where you're gonna come from._

The person was careless. While they were yammering on and on, Grey heard a twig snap to his left. He gave no indication that he heard it, but kept a mental not of the sound of the person's voice. The voice stopped moving behind him, right in front of Elle. He assumed that the attacker was going to spring from there.

_Whoever it is, they're in front of you Elle. But make it look like you're still looking for them. We have the element of surprise now._

_Gotcha._

Grey closed his eyes and strained his ears, listening for anything that would indicate their assailant's advance. What he heard was the metallic slink of something being pulled out of its sheath. Something in him stirred and somehow, he felt through the earth that their enemy was preparing to spring forward.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The moment he thought the person lunged, Grey turned and did the same to meet them with an open maw and outstretched claws. As he slammed into them, his fangs sank into their shoulder while they fell. From the corner of his eye, he could see Elle with her teeth locked onto their wrist as she tried to shake off a long and sinister looking dagger from its grip. Blood welled up in his mouth, but the taste was foreign. It was familiar, almost human. But he knew what human blood tasted like, and this didn't even come close. Something lurked in the dark fluid that he almost recognized. He didn't long to ponder on it before he felt the other hand grab a fistful of fur and pull. Grey pulled his fangs out of the flesh with a snarl and turn to face their attacker.

It was a girl, no older than Elle herself. Her long black hair spilled onto the forest floor, untidy by travel Grey assumed. She had a slightly wiry build with skin so tan that it was almost middle-eastern in her eyes are what caught his attention. They were the color of steel and carried not one ounce of fear at the snarling beast inches from her face, but brimmed with defiance and anger. Grey noticed that her jaw was tensed up, as if she was suppressing a growl herself. Without lowering his guard, he backed off a little while still keeping a paw on her to hold her down.

"Heh, what? Did the puppy grow a conscience for the little girl? Well, I don't need it mutt! I don't know what the fuck is up with you, but I don't take pity from anyone, man or beast!"

The teenage girl struggled to get up, ignoring Grey's warning growls. She managed to get her other hand free and was now swinging the menacing dagger at Grey. He wasn't sure how he was able to avoid it and keep her pinned at the same time. While he pondered this, he heard a metallic click.

"Drop it bitch!" Elle snarled, pointing a pistol at the girl.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Hey! Watch your language! And I believe I told you to drop it!"

Grey was also surprised. What was she thinking revealing herself to another human? As far as he could remember, they had never shown it to anyone. Did she plan to kill her? Yes, she did attack them, but that almost seemed unnecessary. He looked at her questioningly and she understood.

"Don't worry Grey. I'm not going to kill her. If you're wondering why I did this, it's because I'm pretty sure she's one of us."

One of us? The words seemed simple enough, but it was really a very hard concept to grasp. He hadn't seen another werewolf that wasn't sent to kill him and Elle in a while. At first, he suspected that she might be one of Liam's grunts, but Elle quickly put that notion to rest.

"And I know you're thinking it, but she's not one of Liam's. There's no trace of him on her."

"What the hell are you talking about?" the girl screamed. "Have you gone insane? Why are you talking to a dog? What do you mean I'm one of you?"

Elle sighed, "Just show her Grey. Trust me."

With a shrug, he got off the girl, who immediately sat up and backed away a little, dagger forgotten on the ground. Grey circled her, feeling his body change down to the cellular level as he willed the transformation. It almost seemed slow how he gradually stood on two feet while the bones elongated and the fur receded. His muzzle shrank back to a normal face, his fingers grew back, and in less than ten seconds, he was a human again with blades strapped to his arms. He turned from the girl's shocked expression to Elle. "You sure about this? Doesn't look like she's ever seen one of us before."

Elle seemed uncertain. "I don't know. Call it a feeling, but I was pretty damn sure that she was one of us."

"Well let's just ask. Hey!" Grey nodded towards the girl. "Have you ever seen a werewolf before?"

He was met with a blank stare, which was not good. They couldn't afford to leave a human knowing what they were. Next thing they know, a mob will be after them. Maybe what he tasted in her blood was something he imagined. He swung a blade in place. "Looks like you were wrong Elle."

He stepped forward, feeling uneasy about the act he was about to commit. She was just a girl who was probably fending for herself. But they had no time to babysit nor could they risk letting a human know about them and live. He raised his arm. One clean sweep across the neck should do it. It would be quick, painless, and above all merciful. Elle turned away, not wanting to witness it. Grey steeled his breath, in preparation to end the girl's life. It was then that she said something that stayed his blade.

"So I'm _not_ the only one," she whispered.

Grey paused, slowly lowering his weapon. "What do you mean by that?"

She stood up and replied, "I can do that too. What you just did I mean. I can turn into a wolf, both the normal size and the giant one, make myself taller and stronger, and turn into this thing that's like half human _and_ wolf."

"I'm sold," Grey smiled. "Elle, she's one of us."

"How do you know?" she asked, uncertain.

"She just named all the other forms we can turn into. I don't think that's something an ordinary person would know. When did you first make The Change?"

"Um, about a couple of weeks ago," she shuddered. "It's not something I like thinking about."

"Tell me about it," Elle muttered as she sat next to here. "So what were you doing here all by yourself?"

"I thought I was a freak, you know? Figured it would be better for everyone if I just lived in the woods all alone or something. Sorry for attacking you two. I was just so hungry."

"Well I can hardly blame you," Grey said sympathetically. "One look at Elle here is sure to have anyone salivating," he smirked.

Elle kicked him playfully, trying to hide a smile. The girl asked, "So are there anymore of us out there? I mean, I never really considered the idea of werewolves being real."

"Yes, there are other werewolves out there. We're actually looking for some right now before we bumped into you."

"What for?"

"Two reasons. The first is because we need to more about what we are. The second is because there's a bastard that we need to kill."

"Ah, I see. Alright then, I'm in," she said gleefully.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Grey said. "What do you mean you're in?"

"Well, _I_ would like to know more about what I am too, seeing as I thought I was supposed to be a sideshow for the carnies. And come on, you wouldn't leave a fourteen year old girl by herself in the woods, would you?"

"You seemed to be getting along fine before," he raised an eyebrow.

"That was before, but honestly if I have to spend one more night alone, I think I'll go insane."

Grey looked at Elle, unsure of what to do. Elle shrugged, "It couldn't hurt to have another join our ranks. Three wolves do look better than two."

"And it would draw less suspicion since we'd actually look like a pack," Grey nodded. It would make sense to accept another werewolf. Couldn't hurt to have another ally at their side against Liam. It certainly would make future fights easier with an extra set of claws.

"Alright, you're in. But just because you're the youngest it doesn't mean we'll be slowing down any. Try to keep up."

The girl's determination returned as she picked up her dagger and sheathed it. "I'll keep that in mind _sir_," she said mockingly. The sound of fluttering wings caused her to rise to her feet. She held out her arm as the blind raven perched on it. "Hey there bud. Where've you been?"

"You know that cretin?" Elle exclaimed."

"Yeah. This little guy's kept me company from time to time ever since I Changed. I was wondering where it went. Kinda comes and goes as it pleases. How do you know it?"

"You could say that it's been our guide," Grey answered. He looked at its milky eyes once more. "So where to?"

The raven spread its wings and started flying away with a piercing shriek. Elle sighed, "Well, we better follow Swiss cheese before we lose it and miss out on whatever peril its bound to lead us."

Grey stifled a laugh as he rose to his feet. "Oh, since we'll be travelling together, intros are in order. This is Elle and my name is Grey. What's your—" he turned to find that the girl was nowhere to be found.

"It's Kyra," a voice said from above. Grey looked up to find her in the trees.

"When did you get up there?"

"You gonna ask questions all day or you gonna look for some werewolves," she answered with a smile. "Oh, and do try to keep up. Just cuz I'm the youngest doesn't mean I'll be slowing down any."

Without another word, she started nimbly leaping from branch to branch, running from tree to tree. Elle holstered her pistol. "You gonna let the young one make us look bad Grey?"

"As if," he snorted, swinging the blade into resting position. It had been a while since they travelled in human form, but he was not about to lose to a teenage girl. Taking a second to stretch his legs, he said, "Let's show her what it really means to be one of us."


End file.
